(CNSNews.com) – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized the Obama administration’s proposed Iran deal on Wednesday, warning of the dangers of easing sanctions on Iran, and saying that the threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons was the “single greatest national security threat facing the United States.”

“I think the threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons is the single greatest national security threat facing the United States,” Cruz said. “This is a nation that expresses unmitigated hostility to America. There’s a reason they call Israel the little Satan and America the great Satan.”

Cruz was asked to give a “synopsis” of his views on Iran at a question and answer session with the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC).

Cruz also referenced the 1994 US-DPRK Agreed Framework that the Clinton administration entered into with North Korea under which North Korea agreed to halt portions of their nuclear development program in exchange for nuclear, energy, economic, and diplomatic benefits from the U.S.

“I believe what we’re doing right now, this deal that President Obama’s pushing, is repeating the mistakes of the Clinton administration in 1990. In 1990, the Clinton administration led the world relaxing sanctions against North Korea. Billions of dollars flowed into North Korea, and they used that money to develop nuclear weapons,” Cruz said.

“We have literally recruited the very same person, Wendy Sherman, who led the failed North Korea talks to lead these Iran talks,” Cruz pointed out, adding, “Here it’s qualitatively more dangerous, because Iran is led by theocratic zealots who in the middle of these negotiations a senior Iranian general said the destruction of Israel, the annihilation of Israel is ‘non-negotiable.’”

“In the middle of these negotiations, Iran practices a military exercise targeting an American naval ship. In the middle of these negotiations, Ayatollah Khamenei leads masses of Iranians in chanting death to America,” Cruz said.

“One of the great principles of history is if somebody tells you they want to kill you, believe them. So it is my hope that Congress will stand up and stop a bad Iran deal, and I am doing everything humanly possible to urge my colleagues - Republican and Democrat - not to acquiesce to a deal that allows Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and to profoundly jeopardize our national security,” he added.

Cruz and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) filed an amendment to the Iran Nuclear Review Agreement Act currently being debated in Congress which would “require affirmative Congressional approval of any Iranian nuclear deal before sanctions relief can occur.”

Cruz slammed Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) motion of disapproval for being “weak” in a Washington Times op-ed Wednesday.

“Corker-Cardin motion of disapproval reverses the ordinary presumptions. Instead of the President needing 67 Senate votes to ratify the Iran deal, it would now require 67 votes to stop an Iran deal,” Cruz wrote.



“At the end of the debate, if this bill is not strengthened, I will have a great deal of difficulty supporting it,” he said.