ICYMI: Senator Mullin Joins “Squawk Box”, Puts Iran on Notice

Washington, D.C. - This morning, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), joined CNBC's "Squawk Box" with Andrew Ross Sorkin. The Senator discussed the United States returning its focus to the Western Hemisphere, the future of Venezuela, and what the capture of Maduro means for China, Russia, and Cuba.

Senator Mullin also expressed his support for the people of Iran who continue to stand up against its murderous regime and #1 world sponsor of terror. Highlights below.

The full interview can be found here.

On returning the United States' national security focus to the Western Hemisphere:

"What we're trying to do, one, is pay attention one to our Western Hemisphere. For the last 25 years, Andrew, we have paid attention elsewhere, and we've allowed our streets to be flooded with drugs that poison our friends and our family members. And what the President is doing is making a strong focus on our own backyard, which I commend him for."

On what is next for Venezuela:

"It woke up everybody in that region. Now what we're going to do is allow Venezuela to choose the direction of their country. You know, 25 years ago, they were a prime example of democracy and of a wealthy nation… You've got to keep in mind… the oil reserves in Venezuela is greater than Saudi Arabia, but there's been zero investment into it because Maduro didn't care about the oil, because there was more money in drugs, and so he used the oil to launder the other drug cartels' money through."

On what the U.S. operations in Venezuela mean for China, Russia, and Cuba:

"Stability is our goal. Stability is what I believe we can bring to the region by just having the U.S. presence in the region and I think it has definitely put a big squeeze on China. Keep in mind, China was receiving roughly 400,000 barrels of oil a day, at a much-reduced price on the black market."

"They were feeding Cuba with oil to keep their economy propped up, and that's no longer there, and so it's put a hard strain on what Russia, China, and Cuba was playing with the communist push in Central and South America. So, I believe President Trump has made a very good push here to stabilize our region and our hemisphere."

On the need for stability in Venezuela and future opportunities:

"We've had relationships in Venezuela for years. The problem was, under Maduro, it really became uninvestable because of the destabilization that he caused in the amount of criminal activity that was taking place. Once that stabilizes, every major company is going to be buying to get involved in that area, because there's a tremendous amount of opportunity for the company and for their shareholders, but they want to see stabilization."

"We didn't invade Venezuela. We removed an indicted dictator that was ruining the country, and that was a drug lord… And what we did was go in and try to stabilize our hemisphere from a drug lord that was poisoning our streets."

On next steps for the United States regarding the situation in Iran:

"Well, first of all, for the regime that is killing its own people, I think they better pay attention to the President's words. The President doesn't bluff. His timing is on his timing. When he decides to move, he will move. But he has made it very clear that he supports the Iranian people in whatever move they try to move, and that he will keep the mass murdering from going on from this murderous regime that's running Iran and that's been repressing them since 1979."

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