U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, delivered remarks on the Senate Floor in Washington, D.C., expressing support for the people of Iran as they protest for freedom. Barrasso described recent demonstrations across 185 cities in all 31 provinces of Iran as unprecedented in a generation.
Barrasso stated, “Iranians are rejecting the poverty, the repression, and the ruin brought forth by four decades of tyranny. America stands with them. Free people everywhere are watching. From Europe and South America to right here in the United States Senate, we bear witness to the contrast between the Iranian people’s bravery and the Iranian regime’s brutality.”
He criticized the Iranian government’s response to protests: “The regime’s answer to these legitimate protests has been mass murder. Ayatollah Khamenei has unleashed his Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has unleashed them to massacre his own citizens. Credible reports estimate that thousands – perhaps tens of thousands – are dead. This surpasses the death toll of previous crackdowns throughout the Iranian regime’s history of bloodshed. Tens of thousands of protesters have been thrown into prison. The regime has shut off internet and phone access. It is desperate to hide its crimes. It has failed. The truth has gotten out.”
Barrasso also commented on Iran’s international actions: “For decades, Iran’s government has been the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Now, it has turned that terror onto its own people.”
He praised former President Trump’s approach toward Iran: “I applaud President Trump’s leadership on Iran. His strategy has brought Iran to this breaking point. He withdrew from the failed nuclear deal. He destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. He rebuilt the sanctions the previous administration tore down. Maximum Pressure has strangled the regime’s revenue and exposed its weakness.”
On U.S.-Iran relations and broader regional security concerns, Barrasso said: “A weak Iran is a safer America. The Ayatollah has a history of paying his henchmen – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and other terrorist groups. Iran kidnaps American citizens. It holds them for ransom. Iranian-backed militias killed one in six American troops during the war in Iraq. Today, it continues to target our troops throughout the Middle East.”
Barrasso further addressed global alliances involving Iran: “Iran’s allies and enablers today are in Beijing and Moscow… Their conspirator from Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, is now behind bars.” He added that ongoing events could shape future dynamics within what he called an “Axis of Aggression.”
Discussing recent policy measures by President Trump against Iran, Barrasso stated: “President Trump has made it clear where the United States stands. Those who massacre innocent civilians will be held to account… This week, President Trump announced that any country that trades with Iran will face tariffs of 25 percent.” He highlighted U.S actions targeting oil smuggling operations violating sanctions.
Barrasso concluded by saying: “The regime in Iran is weaker today than at any time since their revolution in 1979… We must stand with those who risk everything for freedom.”
