Pence, Harris clash over Iran nuclear agreement during debate
California senator criticizes Trump for withdrawing from deal, says it made US less safe
WASHINGTON - Democratic candidate Kamala Harris blasted the president for withdrawing from the Iran deal, during Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate.
It had put the US “in a position where we are less safe because they are building up what might end up being a significant nuclear arsenal,” she said.
While the debate with Vice President Mike Pence was mostly focused on domestic issues such as COVID- 19, the economy and the Supreme Court, it also included a segment on foreign policy and included a brief exchange on the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.
“We were in that deal, guys,” she continued. “We were in the Iran nuclear deal with friends and allies, and because of Donald Trump’s unilateral foreign policy, coupled with his isolationism, he pulled us out and has made America less safe.”
Harris went on to say that “the thing that has always been part of the strength of our nation, in addition to our great military, has been that we keep our word – but Donald Trump doesn’t understand that.”
Pence pushed back and told Harris: “Well, President Trump kept his word when we moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem,” adding that the previous administration had not relocated the embassy to Israel’s capital.
“You talk about reentering the Iran nuclear deal,” Pence said. “When the last administration transferred $ 1.8 billion to the leading state sponsor of terrorism, President Donald Trump got us out of that deal.” He also mentioned the killing of Qasem Soleimani, who was the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, adding that “America is safer and our allies are safer.”
Pence noted that when Trump took office, “ISIS had captured an area of the Middle East the size of
Pennsylvania. But President Trump unleashed the American military, and our armed forces destroyed the ISIS caliphate and took down their leader, [ Abu Bakr] al- Baghdadi, without one American casualty.”
Harris replied to Pence’s point on Soleimani and said: “After the strike on Soleimani, there was a counterstrike on our troops in Iraq, and they suffered serious
brain injuries. And do you know what Donald Trump dismissed them as? Headaches.”
She also mentioned media reports that suggested that Russia put bounties on the heads of American soldiers and said: “Joe Biden will hold Russia to account for any threats to our national security or to our troops.”