(WASHINGTON) - U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commented today on reports that U.S. officials met one-on-one with members of the Iranian regime.  Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“Iran’s intentions are as crystal clear as its history of deception. 

“One-on-one meetings only grant precious legitimacy to the Iranian regime, while buying it more time to enrich uranium and develop nuclear weapons.

“Is it that U.S. officials need to hear directly from the Iranian radicals that they seek the destruction of Israel and America?  At what point will the U.S. and others stop basing their Iran policy on wishful thinking and, instead, focus on countering this growing and imminent nuclear threat?

“The U.S. must put away the begging bowl, act like a world leader, and lead the effort to impose immediate, crippling sanctions on the Iranian regime.

“Rather than falling for the bait-and-switch from extremist regimes like those in Iran, Cuba, Syria, or North Korea to name a few, our foreign policy must instead make clear to these outlaws that their actions will neither be tolerated nor rewarded by overtures from the United States.”

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