John Cornyn: “over the last 4 years, we have seen a series of encouraging developments in the Middle East--a place where there isn't a…”

“over the last 4 years, we have seen a series of encouraging developments in the Middle East--a place where there isn't a long trend line of positive developments. We have destroyed the ISIS caliphate. We have brought down dangerous terrorist leaders like al-Baghdadi and, of course, the head of the IRGC, Soleimani, who was personally responsible for American blood on his hands, particularly providing explosives that penetrated our armor in Iraq. Through congressional action and the work of the Trump administration, we strengthened bilateral ties with our closest friends and allies, including Israel and Jordan. This summer, the administration helped forge historic peace deals between Israel and Arab nations in the region. The United Arab Emirates became the third Arab country and first Gulf State to recognize and normalize relations with Israel by the signing of the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement. It was only a matter of days until Bahrain followed suit and announced its agreement with Israel to open formal diplomatic negotiations. These historic breakthroughs represent serious progress in our efforts to fight terrorism and establish lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. While more work obviously remains, it is great to see the mounting pressure against Iran--the region's greatest antagonist and largest state sponsor of terrorism.…”