2024 presidential candidates on the Middle East and North Africa

2024 presidential candidates on the issues

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This page includes statements from the 2024 presidential candidates on the Middle East and North Africa. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and debates.

The candidates featured on this page were the noteworthy Democratic and Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential election. Only candidates who addressed this page's issue on their campaign website, in public statements, or in public speeches have a quote featured on this page. See something we missed? Email us. The active noteworthy presidential candidates as of November 5, 2025, were:

Kamala Harris (D)
Donald Trump (R)
Chase Oliver (L)
Jill Stein (G)

Middle East and North Africa

Democratic candidates

Kamala D. Harris

Harris' campaign website said, "Vice President Harris will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to protect U.S. forces and interests from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups." ^{[source, as of 2024-09-09]}

Republican candidates

Ron DeSantis

DeSantis’ campaign website said, “DeSantis has said he will turn the screws on Iran beginning on Day 1 -- abandoning the naïve, disastrous Obama-Biden foreign policies including: Imposing the most crippling sanctions on Iran and its terror proxies in history - which includes immediately snapping back all of the UN sanctions. Ceasing all engagement, including secret negotiations and deals with Iran. Stopping giving Iran more than $80 billion dollars in lax sanctions enforcement of Iran oil sales. Revoking sanction waivers and stopping giving Iran access to $6 billion in the terrible ransom payment, $10 billion in Iraq, and $6.7 billion from the IMF. Suspending the security clearance, investigate and hold accountable anyone implicated in the Iran foreign influence operation that has ties to senior Biden Admin officials.” ^{[source, as of 2023-12-19]}

Nikki Haley

In a Republican debate Haley said, "What we need to be doing for Iraq and Syria is first of all, the idea that our men and women could be targeted and that we’ve allowed almost 100 hits to happen under Biden’s watch is unthinkable. We need to understand this is Iran giving the green light telling them what to do and we shouldn’t be doing the tit for tat like what Joe Biden has done. We need to go and take out their infrastructure that they are using to make those strikes with so they can never do it again. Iran responds to strength, you punch them one and you punch them hard and they will back off. [...] You don’t respond to an enemy and a terrorist with fear, you respond with strength. When you do that, that’s when the world pays attention and that’s when Iran stops." ^{[source, as of 2023-11-08]}

Asa Hutchinson

Hutchinson's campaign website listed the following policy, "Increase sanctions on Iran to send a clear message: America will not tolerate Tehran’s support of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-21]}

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy's campaign website said, "The centerpiece of Vivek’s Middle East policy in Year 1 will be to lead 'Abraham Accords 2.0' which will fully integrate Israel into the Middle East economy – by adding Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Indonesia to the pact which was one of President Trump’s crowning foreign policy achievements." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-21]}