Joe Pitts: “anyone following the news knows that tension is growing in our relations with Iran. But as we consider our response to…”

“anyone following the news knows that tension is growing in our relations with Iran. But as we consider our response to this situation, let us be clear about where the problem lies. The problem is with the radical new leadership of Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his extremist regime. It is not with the good people of Iran, who have shown openness to freedom and moderation. Historically, Iran has been a center of culture and civilization. Millions of Iranians still value these things and seek a future with greater freedom and individual liberty. We must be reaching out to these people through diplomacy, person-to-person diplomacy and other ways to encourage their desire for freedom. The idea of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of a leader who calls the Holocaust a myth and openly says Israel should be wiped off the map is unthinkable and must be addressed. But the best way to do that is through reaching out to the moderate people of Iran who want better for their country than the current regime, not through military action. ____________________”