Khaled Salem, who has declared his candidacy for the US Senate in the 2022 midterm elections and will be running against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is urging Iran not to waste the opportunity to negotiate with the Biden administration over nuclear weapons.
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In a message to the Gulf states last week, Salem offered encouragement as well as voicing concerns about threats to peace in the region.
"Iran and the United States do not need to be on a collision course," Khaled said. "Yes, this could be a huge disaster, but this moment also presents an opportunity for both sides. Neither the US nor Iran want a war, especially not a nuclear confrontation. It's a complex matter, but also relatively simple. If the countries involved elect to move towards peace and cooperation, any issues can be worked out in good faith. There are solutions. It will take skilled diplomacy and good will to make it happen."
Salem was born in Egypt and raised in Kuwait. He immigrated to the United States in 1992.
Salem said he sees the current Iranian regime as aggravating geopolitical conditions in the Middle East to bolster its domestic support, an approach he says leads to heightened tension while also punishing the citizens of Iran because of foreign sanctions.
"The war-mongering benefits no one, except a power-hungry elite," Salem explained. "This needs to stop."
US President Joe Biden is offering an honorable path to peace, and Iran should take it, Salem said.
Salem also advised Gulf States to seek other resources for their people from under the umbrella of the Biden administration and pressed for the US to continue its alliance with Israel and protect Israel from Iranian hostility and other regional forces that embrace terrorism.
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