Bernie Moreno, the Republican Senate nominee in Ohio, told Jewish Insider that he believes the United States should withdraw from the United Nations due to its targeting of Israel and appeasement of Iran.

Moreno, who is challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) bid for a fourth term, said in an interview on Wednesday that the U.N.’s decision to offer condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, as well as the scores of workers associated with Palestinian terrorist groups through one of its relief agencies, was evidence that the U.S. should leave the organization. 

“This is a global terrorist who was head of one of the most deadly crime terrorist organizations ever in modern history. We should celebrate the fact that this evil SOB is dead. The fact that the United Nations would lower its flag and pay condolences is grotesque. It shows you how far off mission the U.N. has gotten,” Moreno said. 

“At this point in time, honestly, it’s time to have a conversation about the U.S. role in funding the U.N. I don’t believe we need to. I think we should stop funding it,” he continued. “I don’t think we need to be a part of the United Nations any longer. I think we should take that money and spend it on the real needs we have in America.”

Moreno has aligned himself ideologically with former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). He said that he believes the Republican Party will come around to supporting his anti-U.N. stance, predicting that “by the time January 2025 comes around, my position will be the mainstream in the Republican Party.”

Asked why standing with Israel was a part of the America First agenda he touts, Moreno said:“Israel is doing the work for us that we wouldn’t want to do, which is to fight terrorism there instead of fighting it here. They’re the tip of the spear for the battle for Western civilization. They’re the only democracy in the Middle East. They’re our strongest ally, and also an amazing partner for us economically.”

“The money that we send them is not a donation. This is an investment in R&D, in resources and innovation that benefits America greatly,” he added. “Investing in Israel is an investment in the U.S. and the future of this country. We need to forge more relationships with Israel. We need to be more on their side when it comes to economic scaling opportunity, and make certain that what we do is keep their enemies at bay. The way we do that is [ensuring] that there’s not one ounce of daylight between America and Israel.”

Republicans have grown frustrated with the United Nations over its critical treatment of Israel since Oct. 7. The U.N. lowering its flag to half staff and holding a minute of silence during a Security Council meeting to honor Raisi this week prompted additional outrage, as did similar overtures from the Biden administration.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the No. 3 Senate Republican, pressed Secretary of State Tony Blinken at Tuesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing about the State Department’s release of a statement offering condolences over Raisi’s death.

“We expressed official condolences as we’ve done when countries, adversaries, enemies or not, have lost leaders. It changes nothing about the fact that Mr. Raisi was engaged in reprehensible conduct including repressing his own people for many years as a judge and then as president. It changes not a whit about our policy, but it’s something we’ve done many times in the past going back many administrations and many decades, and we do as a normal course of business,” Blinken said to Barrasso’s question. 

“Well, I don’t think it should be a normal course of business. I think it’s shocking that this administration would mourn the death of the ‘Butcher of Tehran.’ I don’t. He’s responsible for death, rape, torture, the sworn enemy of the free world. So I think it’s a terrible mistake, Mr. Secretary,” Barrasso replied.