Marco Rubio Slams Obama’s Policies on Iran and Cuba By Patrick O’Connor
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/08/14/marco-rubio-slams-obamas-policies-on-iran-and-cuba/
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won’t be uncorking the champagne when Secretary of State John Kerry officially opens an American embassy in Cuba today for the first time in 54 years.
Instead, the Republican White House hopeful marked the historic occasion by delivering a stinging rebuke of President Barack Obama’s two signature diplomatic breakthroughs this year, vowing to reimpose economic sanctions on Iran and threatening to sever diplomatic ties with the Castro regime in Cuba.
Mr. Rubio outlined those positions in a Friday speech in New York hosted by the Foreign Policy Initiative, further casting himself as the candidate most eager to reignite tensions with two longtime adversaries.
He wants Iran to terminate its nuclear program in exchange for any sanctions relief. He also plans to ask Congress to impose “crushing new measures” to target human-rights abuses and any Iranian leaders involved in financing terrorist operations. And he restated his call for ending budget caps on the military.
The son of Cuban immigrants was just as harsh about the Castro regime. Mr. Rubio said he would end diplomatic relations with the country unless the government carries out “meaningful political and human-rights reforms,” and he threatened to return Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terror.
If elected president, Mr. Rubio also promised to invite political dissidents from Cuba, China and Iran to his inauguration “as a symbol of solidarity between my administration and those who strive for freedom around the world.”
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