Both Democratic and Republican members of Congress oppose the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as its failure to permanently restrict Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb is a “bipartisan concern,” Sen. Steve Daines (R – Mont.) argued in an op-ed published in the Independent Record yesterday.
Top Democrat leaders from both the House and Senate oppose this deal, including incoming Senate Democrat Leader and former chairman of the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee Chuck Schumer, D-NY.
He said: “If Iran’s true intent is to get a nuclear weapon, under this agreement, it must simply exercise patience. To me, after ten years, if Iran is the same nation as it is today, we will be worse off with this agreement than without it.”
Though I disagree with Senator Schumer on many issues, I am in agreement with his conclusion regarding the Iran deal — this deal will not prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and the American people deserve a better deal.
In listing several of the deal’s major shortcomings, Daines questioned the provision that allows Iran at least 24 days to answer questions about suspicious sites. The dangers of this provision were also noted by nuclear experts such as Olli Heinonen, the former deputy director-general of the IAEA, who said last month, “A 24-day adjudicated timeline reduces detection probabilities exactly where the system is weakest: detecting undeclared facilities and materials.”
Daines further observed that Iran’s foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said that Tehran would defy existing arms embargoes and “send arms to our allies in the region.” The deal, Daines concluded, will not force Iran to dismantle its nuclear facilities, and will allow it to develop (and eventually buy) ballistic missile technology while profiting from billions of dollars of sanctions relief.
Two senior Senate Democrats have already announced their opposition to the JCPOA, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D – N.Y.) coming out against the deal earlier this month, and Sen. Robert Menendez (D – N.J.) announcing that he will vote to oppose it yesterday.
Over the weekend, Sen. Jeff Flake (R – Ariz.), who was thought to be undecided on the deal, announced his opposition to the JCPOA despite “heavy” lobbying by the White House.
[Photo: Senator Steve Daines / YouTube ]