Ron Paul Blasts Congress Iran Sanctions Bill, Calls It Obsession with Iran Act (+Video)

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Texas libertarian Congressman, and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul blasted Congress on Wednesday -- when the House voted 421-6 on a bill to change the existing sanctions against Iran by adding penalties for those aiding the country’s oil, insurance, shipping and financial sectors.

Paul dubbed the bill the “Obsession with Iran Act 2012,” as the congressman described it as an unnecessary step towards war with a country that – in his view – doesn’t represent a real threat to the security of the United States or its allies.

The libertarian icon took over Congress’ floor in one of his signature speeches where he claimed, “We have not been provoked [by Iran],” and explained how we have been “obsessed with the idea that we have to go to war and try to solve all the problems of the world.”

Paul highlighted how “at time when the U.S. has spent billions of dollars on a war with Iraq and Afghanistan, further involvement with Iran would just hurt the country – and especially the economy.” The congressman also said that imposing sanctions and blockading a country are an act of war, “and the U.S. fights too many [wars] that it can’t afford.”

The congressman added, "There is no evidence that Iran has ever enriched uranium above 20 percent." He also said the IAEA and CIA have determined that the Iran is not on the verge of building a nuclear weapon. “What we continue to be doing is obsess with Iran and the idea that Iran is a threat to our national security,” Paul said. “Iran happens to be a Third World nation. They have no significant navy, air force, or intercontinental ballistic missiles.”

Ron Paul concluded, in a strong rebuke to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's recent remarks from Israel, that "by voting for the Iran Sanctions bill, America is engaging in another costly mistake that mirrors the war against Iraq – a war that was a façade, based on a false idea that the country was hiding weapons of mass destruction."