Considering any kind of deal with Iran to address the crisis in Iraq is a "very bad choice," Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) said on the floor Thursday.
President Obama suggested at a Thursday press conference that Iran could play a "constructive" role in dealing with ISIL's attempt to take over the country.
"We are being faced with terrible options that have been created by the bad choices our leaders have made," Cruz said. "Those guiding our foreign policy at the White House, at the State Department, and even, unfortunately, here in the United States Senate have refused to address the true dangers posed to Americans at home and abroad. Bad choices inevitably leave us with bad options."
Refusing to recognize the radical religious extremism of individuals "committed to jihad" and who have pledged to murder Americans, Cruz said, is a "bad choice."
"Negotiating with terrorists to release terrorist leaders is a bad choice, and considering any kind of deal with Iran is a very bad choice," he said. "In the last five years, America has receded from leadership in the world, and into that vacuum have stepped nations like Iran, like Russia, like China. As we've abandoned our allies, the consequence has been to make the world a much, much more dangerous place."