***Click here for audio.***
BISMARCK, N.D. — President Donald Trump has been clear he wants peace with Iran, but not at the expense of having a nuclear Iran which threatens our troops, our allies, and kills its own citizens. After issuing repeated warnings about the consequences of failure to reach a diplomatic agreement, President Trump turned words into action, ordering strategic strikes in collaboration with Israel on Iranian missile infrastructure.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement commending the Trump administration’s actions:
“This action has been a long time coming. This is a necessary action. This regime in Iran has repeatedly refused to come to the table to even discuss a nuclear deal. What they do is they use these evasive tactics. This endless rhetoric, just to stall while they rebuild their capabilities. And it's not just because the United States, is unwilling to talk—clearly President Trump has given them many opportunities. He's pleaded with them to come to the table. Iran can never agree to the fundamental steps that are necessary for having a relationship that's lasting, that's peaceful, [and] that stabilizes the Middle East.
“Iran is led by radical—not just radical, but extremely radical—Islamic terrorists. President Trump didn't just sit on the sidelines, like so many presidents before him. He confronted this terrorist regime head on. And when America has the strength, the capability, and the responsibility, as well as the political will to act, we rise at the right moment. And that's what's happening right now. That's what President Trump ordered today. And the world is watching, our allies as well as our adversaries. They're seeing what we do in these moments, and today it has seen how America leads. We lead with clarity, with confidence, with conviction, and with tremendous capability and the most mighty and sophisticated military in the history of the world.”
The United States has tried to negotiate the boundaries of Iran’s nuclear program through diplomatic channels since President Trump’s first term. Instead, Tehran has drifted further from compliance. After the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018, Iran escalated enrichment to 60%, far beyond civilian levels, and surpassed stockpile limitations. Since 2021, international inspectors have faced increasing obstacles on the ground, raising alarms about what the world can’t see.