Cruz says Congress needs to send a strong signal that talking with the president is a privilege. Cruz praises Obama on Iran

Ted Cruz spent all week trying to dismantle President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, then turned around on Saturday to praise Obama’s foreign policy work on Iran.

As the Texas Republican senator works overtime to defund Obamacare in a government funding bill, Cruz also specifically commended Obama for raising the status of Pastor Saeed Abedini in his conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday. Obama noted U.S. “concern” with reuniting Abedini and two other American citizens believed to be held in Iran with their families, according to a White House official.


“He did the right thing,” Cruz said of Obama.

On Thursday, Cruz participated in a vigil in front of the White House dedicated to a one-year anniversary of Abedini’s plight. On Saturday, he urged passage of a congressional resolution that affirms the right for Israel to exist as a Jewish state and calls for the release of prisoners in Iran without conditions. Obama’s conversation with Rouhani marked a sudden thaw in U.S.-Iranian relations and prompted Cruz to call for Iranian concessions before any further contact between the two presidents.

“Congress needs to send a strong signal that direct communication with the leader of the free world is a privilege, particularly for a regime that has been as hostile as Iran has been towards America for more than three decades. President Rouhani needs to take these two simple steps to demonstrate good faith before any further discussions,” Cruz said.