Haley criticizes Vivek on Iran, Ramaswamy fires back.
Former Governor Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) Takes Aim at GOP Rival Vivek Ramaswamy on Foreign Policy
Former Governor Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) took aim at fellow GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday, marking the latest in a volley of jabs between the two on foreign policy issues.
“Vivek Ramaswamy must have missed that the fanatical terrorist regime in Iran regularly calls for ‘Death to America,’” Haley posted via X. “If he doesn’t see a nuclear Iran as a threat to American security, then he should take his place beside AOC and the Squad and get nowhere near the White House.”
.@VivekGRamaswamy must have missed that the fanatical terrorist regime in Iran regularly calls for ‘Death to America.’
If he doesn’t see a nuclear Iran as a threat to American security, then he should take his place beside AOC and the Squad and get nowhere near the White House.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 31, 2023
Haley’s post appeared to be a direct response to a Monday interview Ramaswamy did with Israel Hayom, during which the entrepreneur suggested that he wanted to remain supportive of Israel and opposed Iran achieving nuclear capabilities — but he drew the line at allowing the United States to take direct military action against Iran.
Asked, if he would “use military force to stop Iran,” as previous administrations had signaled they would, Ramaswamy responded:
“We will not stop Israel from defending itself to the fullest capacity. And we remain supportive of Israel, because they are our friend. I think it’s really important that the US not put our own men and women on the line in a war with Iran, when in fact, there’s no reason for us to be in that kind of war now, and I don’t think that’s good for the United States, and I don’t think that’s good for Israel. But what we do need to do is to make sure that Israel is strong so that Iran isn’t emboldened. This is, you know, an ayatollah in Iran who would rather Israel not exist, let’s just call that truth out for what it is. And so, Israel needs to be in a strong position to defend itself. And the United States will be at Israel’s back. But I think that that’s a very different thing from automatically sleepwalking ourselves into war. I’m an anti-war president. And the way I’m going to do it is by deterring war, be it ending the war in Ukraine and deterring China. These are important elements of why I think it’s important to be strong, but in a way that doesn’t accidentally walk us into wars that we don’t belong in.”
Ramaswamy responded to Haley’s criticisms in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying that he had left military intervention in Iran on the table during that interview.
“Another flagrant distortion by the neocons … I said we would fully support Israel, including militarily, but that we should *not* want U.S. men and women dying in a war between Israel and Iran,” he said.
Haley, who most recently served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., has been trading barbs with Ramaswamy on foreign policy issues since the first GOP primary debate.
Citing Ramaswamy’s position on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine — namely that Ukraine should make major concessions to their Russian aggressors to prevent a Russia-China alliance — Haley argued, “You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country … You would make America less safe.”
“Under your watch, you would make America less safe, you have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” Haley continued.
Ramaswamy has since hit Haley on a few occasions, referring to her assessment of his policy statements as “lies.” He also slammed her for saying that he did not fully support Israel from his campaign website: “WRONG. Keep lying, Nimarata Randhawa. The desperation is showing. By the end of Vivek’s first term, the US-Israel relationship will be deeper and stronger than ever because it won’t be a client relationship, it will be a true friendship.”
Haley is not the only Republican candidate taking issue with Ramaswamy’s position on Israel and Iran. Former Vice President and fellow GOP primary candidate Mike Pence offered a similar response to the political newcomer, saying, “[Vivek Ramaswamy] announcing that he will not use military force to defend Israel against Iran demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about defending American interests and our most cherished ally. Weakness Arouses Evil.”
.@VivekGRamaswamy announcing that he will not use military force to defend Israel against Iran demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about defending American interests and our most cherished ally. Weakness Arouses Evil. Vivek’s hesitation to send a clear message of… https://t.co/MV8PCNOZtn
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) August 30, 2023
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