We must put things in context in this debate and realize that sanctions likely won’t work. If we sincerely want Iran to stop their ballistic-missile system, it is going to take some kind of bigger dialogue that includes all the Gulf sheikhdoms.

Only when we begin to view Iran in the context of its historic struggle with its Middle Eastern adversaries will we have a chance at arriving at any semblance of peace. Until then, I will oppose new sanctions on Iran.

Note: This essay is based on remarks given in a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Business Meeting on May 25, 2017.

Rand Paul is a U.S. senator from Kentucky.

Image: U.S. Capitol dome with U.S. flag. Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons/David Maiolo