Foreign Policy and Defense

Iran's nuclear program and sanctions

73 public statements from 2026 candidates · 3 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: Decisions about Iran affect the risk of a wider war in the Middle East, the safety of US troops in the region and the price of oil.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

How the US should deal with Iran's government over its nuclear program and its support for armed groups, after US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in 2025, a US military campaign against Iran in early 2026 and a short-term agreement between the two governments in June 2026, which the president said in July that Iran had broken.1,2,3,4

  1. Tighten sanctions further and use military force if needed to stop Iran's nuclear program
  2. Keep sanctions in place, easing them only if Iran ends all uranium enrichment
  3. Negotiate a deal that eases some sanctions in exchange for verified limits on Iran's nuclear program

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Keep sanctions in place, easing them only if Iran ends all uranium enrichment (1)

  • Brad Schneider IL-10
    His campaign website says the United States and the international community should permanently block Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability by dismantling its enrichment infrastructure, and that he helped introduce and pass tougher Iran sanctions legislation.5

Negotiate a deal that eases some sanctions in exchange for verified limits on Iran's nuclear program (5)

  • Eliott Rodriguez FL-27
    His campaign website lists among his priorities pressing the Trump administration to withdraw from Iran, as a way to lower gas prices, and to negotiate with experts on a nuclear deal.6
  • Abdul El-Sayed MI Senate
    His campaign website says he opposes the war with Iran and a nuclear-armed Iran, and that diplomacy like the Obama-era nuclear deal is more effective.7
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website opposes the war with Iran and says a nuclear-armed Iran should be prevented through diplomacy and a verifiable agreement with strict inspections.8
  • Winston Jordan NJ-12
    His policy platform website lists returning to verifiable nuclear non-proliferation agreements with Iran through diplomacy rather than war.9
  • Chris Henry OR Senate
    His platform supports recommitting to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and opposes attacks on Iran that bypass lawful authorization.10

Statements that don't match one option (67)

  • Jerry Carl AL-1
    His campaign website says he introduced legislation in Congress to keep the Biden administration from allowing Iran to continue developing nuclear weapons, and says the U.S. should take a tougher line with China and Iran.11
  • Jeff Wadlin AR Senate
    His campaign website says Iran must not get a nuclear weapon, but that diplomacy, inspections, targeted sanctions and pressure from allies should be exhausted before war.12
  • Steve G. Parsons AR-1
    His campaign website calls for ending the war with Iran as a step toward lowering inflation.13
  • Mike McGuire CA-1
    His campaign website calls the war with Iran illegal and says he would work to stop it, while supporting diplomacy, regional de-escalation and a strategy to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.14
  • Tom McClintock CA-5
    His campaign website calls the Iran nuclear agreement a major mistake that gave Iran's government money and room to keep developing nuclear capabilities, and says he supports giving Iran's internal opposition moral and material support so that the regime collapses from within.15,16
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says the nuclear agreement with Iran negotiated under President Obama provided a framework for nonproliferation and that she would call for a diplomacy-first approach.17
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says the United States should pursue a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program through multilateral negotiations while keeping multilateral pressure on Iran.18
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is real but that another war in the Middle East is not the solution.19
  • Jim Costa CA-21
    His official biography says he supports a strong posture toward Iran and helped negotiate the 2010 law that imposed the first significant U.S. sanctions on Iran.20
  • Brad Sherman CA-32
    His campaign website says he wrote parts of Iran sanctions laws, including a section of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act.21
  • Dave Min CA-47
    His campaign website says he has opposed President Trump's war in Iran.22
  • Jenny Rae Le Roux CA-47
    Her campaign website says she opposes any agreement that does not permanently and verifiably dismantle Iran's nuclear program, and supports strong international sanctions and all necessary pressure to keep Iran from achieving its nuclear ambitions.23
  • Marni von Wilpert CA-48
    Her campaign website says she would work to end President Trump's war with Iran, which it calls costly.24
  • John Hickenlooper CO Senate
    His campaign website says he wants to end the U.S. war in Iran, which it links to higher gas prices.25
  • Bob Chew CO Senate
    His campaign website says there are good reasons to contain Iran and eliminate its military capabilities, but says the U.S. war with Iran was started without congressional authority or domestic and international support.26
  • Adam Withrow CO Senate
    His campaign website says the only way forward with Iran is a unilateral U.S. declaration of peace and acceptance of responsibility.27
  • Gaylon Kent CO-2
    His campaign website opposes the war with Iran, saying Iran poses no strategic threat to the United States.28
  • Eileen Laubacher CO-4
    Her campaign website says she would end the Iran war, which it links to higher fuel and fertilizer costs, and opposes expensive and unnecessary wars.29
  • Benjamin Wesley CT-4
    His campaign website calls for cutting off funding for the war in Iran, which it says has raised prices for food, gas and other goods.30
  • Joseph "Dr. Joe" Arminio DE-AL
    His campaign website says he has publicly opposed the Iran war and wants it ended now, and that Iran's Revolutionary Guard should be militarily contained and targeted with sanctions if it will not cooperate, without sanctioning Iran as a whole.31,32
  • Angie Nixon FL Senate special
    Her campaign website says she supports ending the war in Iran.33
  • Leela Gray FL-13
    Her campaign website says she will work to end the war in Iran, which it says has driven up prices for families.34
  • Brian Mast FL-21
    His campaign website says he opposed the Iran Nuclear Deal, commends President Trump for withdrawing from it, and has voted to institute new sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia.35
  • Scott Singer FL-25
    His campaign website says he supports President Trump's efforts to prevent a nuclear Iran.36
  • Maura Keller GA-3
    Her campaign website says she would vote no on funding the Iran War.37
  • Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. GA-4
    His campaign website says he supports an end to the war in Iran, which it says he believes is senseless and unconstitutional.38
  • Tony Kozycki GA-7
    His campaign website says he supports tough diplomacy backed by credible force to ensure countries like Iran never obtain nuclear weapons.39
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says a nuclear Iran is unacceptable and that the country should work to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon through diplomacy rather than military strikes.40
  • Katy Tyndell KS-4
    Her campaign website says she will work across party lines to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.41
  • Ron Estes KS-4
    His campaign website says Iran has long been the largest sponsor of terrorism and that the country is now on a path to eliminating the threat of a nuclear Iran and providing an opportunity for stability and peace in the Middle East.42
  • Charles Booker KY Senate
    His campaign website says he would work to end the war in Iran and pursue a lasting diplomatic settlement.43
  • Zach Dembo KY-6
    His campaign website says the U.S. should deescalate what it calls a war of choice in Iran, and describes what has happened in Iran as a dangerous abuse of power that violates international law.44
  • Lisa Ballay LA-2
    Her campaign website says the standard for military action against Iran should be whether it actually makes Americans safer, paired with a clear threat, a clear objective and a clear way out.45
  • "Clay" Higgins LA-3
    His campaign website's 2016 Issues page says the Iran Deal should be immediately revoked and that Iran, which it calls the foremost state sponsor of terror, should receive no American money or support.46
  • "Matt" Gromlich LA-4
    His campaign website says he is against forever wars and wars without stated win conditions, and opposes sending any troops into Iran.47
  • Chris Chaffee MD-5
    His campaign website says he is not for boots on the ground, that Iran's means to enrich uranium should be ended, and that inspectors should be sent in to find and remove any nuclear fuel and to end the war with Iran.48
  • Matthew G. Dunlap ME-2
    His campaign website says he would fight to end the war in Iran, which it says has kept gas prices high all year.49,50
  • Ronald A Muszynski MI-5
    His campaign website says every government intelligence agency agreed that Iran was keeping its end of earlier nuclear negotiations, and lists ending endless wars among its main issues.51
  • Jim Bronke MI-5
    His campaign website says the United States must place itself in good relations with other nations such as Iran.52
  • William Lawrence MI-7
    His campaign website calls for ending what it describes as the illegal and expensive war with Iran and says the country should seek diplomatic solutions to global challenges rather than more war.53
  • Michael Bouchard MI-10
    His campaign website says ending the current conflict with Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz is the first step toward lower gas prices.54
  • Mike Saliba MI-10
    His campaign website says the country must end war propaganda, threats of a blockade and plans to attack Iran, and must be willing to talk with every country.55
  • Douglas P. Marsh MI Senate
    His campaign website says the United States should immediately stop hostilities against Iran and use its economic and diplomatic leverage to bring about permanent ceasefires in Gaza, Ukraine and other countries.56
  • Kelly Morrison MN-3
    Her campaign website says she has voted several times to end the war in Iran.57
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It says she supports diplomatic solutions with Iran and backs the JCPOA, and that she wants a deal that does not place disproportionate economic sanctions on the Iranian people.58
  • Tom Schmitz MO-1
    His campaign website opposes the war with Iran, saying it should end as soon as possible, and says the way to prevent Iran from eventually obtaining a nuclear weapon is diplomacy and peaceful negotiation.59
  • Fred Wellman MO-2
    His campaign website says Congress must act to end the Iran war, conduct oversight and pursue serious diplomacy, and that the country should not be in an open-ended conflict without congressional authorization.60
  • Jordan Herrera MO-4
    His campaign website says he is strongly opposed to escalating conflict with Iran.61
  • Josh Smead MO-6
    His campaign website lists stopping the Iran war, which it calls illegal, and fixing the economic problems it says the war has created.62
  • Michael Guest MS-3
    His campaign website's Israel policy page, found only in its site map and apparently from his 2018 campaign, says Iran should be stopped from developing nuclear weapons at all costs and that he supports further sanctions on Iran aimed at its ballistic missile tests, its sponsorship of terrorism and its human rights violations.63
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website opposes the war with Iran and any further escalation without a vote of Congress, and supports diplomacy to de-escalate and end the conflict.64
  • Brian J Miller MT-2
    His campaign website says the war in Iran is not a war of necessity, that the U.S. should leave the Middle East and bring its troops home, and that he opposes spending any more money on war in the Middle East.65
  • Michael D Eisenhauer MT-2
    His Issues page lists ending the war in the Middle East, in a way that keeps international shipping open, among steps to help farmers, and says the war in Iran has periodically blocked the Strait of Hormuz and driven up fertilizer prices.66
  • Guy Meilleur NC-4
    His campaign website says the United States will be safer when its alliances stop enabling warlords and attacking Iran and Venezuela.67
  • Virginia Foxx NC-5
    Her campaign website says she voted in favor of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which imposes economic sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea.68
  • Steven Feldman NC-10
    His campaign website lists ending sanctions on Iran and Cuba among the policies that could foster peaceful relations, saying the sanctions hurt people there and have not changed their governments' policies for the better.69
  • Dan Osborn NE Senate
    His campaign website says the war in Iran should end.70
  • Maggie Goodlander NH-2
    Her campaign website lists the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act, which passed the House and would sanction people involved in certain logistics deals or sanctions evasion tied to Iranian energy products, among the bills it highlights.71
  • Lily Tang Williams NH-2
    Her campaign website says that, as the administration works to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the country should pursue diplomatic, economic and technological solutions wherever it can.72
  • Donald Norcross NJ-1
    His campaign website says he opposes the nuclear deal with Iran and that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.73
  • Gabriel Vasquez NM-2
    His campaign website lists opposition to the President's war in Iran, which it says is raising gas prices for New Mexicans, among his accomplishments.74
  • Greg Levy OH Senate special
    His campaign website calls for lifting U.S. sanctions on countries including Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.75
  • John Francis Reed RI Senate
    His campaign website says he opposes President Trump's war with Iran and is using his vote in the Senate to try to stop it.76
  • Annie Andrews SC Senate
    Her taxpayer pledge says she would oppose unprovoked foreign wars, including what it calls the current war in Iran.77
  • Kasie Whitener SC Senate
    Her campaign blog says she opposes the use of force against Iran because the United States was not attacked.78
  • Brian L Bengs SD Senate
    His campaign website calls for getting out of the war with Iran and says that as a senator he would not have voted to enter it or to continue it.79
  • James Talarico TX Senate
    His campaign website says he would seek an end to the war with Iran that keeps Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.80

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.