Dear Friend,

This week I travelled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. I met with key foreign officials about the ongoing nuclear threat from Iran, continuing violence in Syria, Islamic extremism, and the best way to confront all these challenges together with our friends on the Arabian Peninsula. 

In the past year, the Middle East has gone through significant change. The United States and our allies continue to face a lot of uncertainty and potential security threats.  Thousands of American troops are stationed in the Middle East and they continue to be on the front lines of all of these challenges. 

Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is still a top priority, and it requires us to work with our partners in the Middle East who would also face serious consequences from a nuclear Iran. 

Congress has taken bipartisan action to impose tough sanctions on the Iranians, and the Iranian regime is feeling the economic impact of our actions. I believe our sanctions are one of the reasons Iran feels desperate enough to threaten closing off key shipping routes in the Persian Gulf. 

Such actions would have global consequences and Iran’s threats have pushed away their few remaining friends. That is why now it is so important to use this time to strengthen our alliances and demonstrate that the global community is united in our opposition to Iran’s actions. 

History has shown it is through partnerships that we are able to protect ourselves and our allies. It is important to build these relationships so we can protect our homeland, keep our troops serving abroad out of harm’s way, and make sure we have allies who are secure and prosperous. 

 

Sincerely,

Kay Granger
Member of Congress