Iowa political reaction to the U.S. deal with Iran

President Barack Obama announced this morning a deal aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Negotiators representing the U.S., Russian Federation, United Kingdom, France, China and Germany were involved in the talks. You can read the full text of the deal on the Washington Post’s website. The United Nations will drop its sanctions on Iran, provided that country complies with the agreement, including granting international inspectors access to all nuclear sites.

Most of Iowa’s Congressional delegation has already reacted to the news. I’ve enclosed their comments below and will update this post as needed. This spring, all four Iowans in the U.S. House and both of our U.S. senators voted for a bill Obama signed into law, which allows Congress to vote to approve or disapprove any deal with Iran. Speaking to reporters today, the president said, “I welcome scrutiny of the details of this agreement,” adding “that he would veto any legislation that tried to prevent its implementation.” Opponents of the deal would need to override that veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress; so far, just under half the U.S. senate appears inclined to block the deal.  

Statement released by Senator Chuck Grassley, July 14:

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the announcement of a nuclear agreement with Iran.

“I’ve always been skeptical about an agreement with Iran that fails to fully dismantle its nuclear program.  This is a country that sponsors terrorism and has a history of hiding its nuclear program from outside inspectors.  I’m concerned that Iran’s relief from international sanctions could offer a lot more carrot than stick.  That would open the spigot to support Iran’s terror activities and nuclear capabilities, threatening our national security and the security of our allies in the region.

“It’s important that under the legislation Congress passed, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, Congress will have 60 days to review the agreement before the President could waive any congressionally imposed sanctions on Iran.  Under the act, Congress will review every line of the agreement before approving or disapproving the deal.  We need to understand all of the components of the agreement.  Does the deal allow for anytime, anywhere inspections, including military sites?  When and how will sanctions be lifted, and what process exists for re-imposing sanctions, should Iran violate the deal?   Will sanctions on conventional arms and ballistic missile technology be lifted as a result of the agreement?  Will this deal prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability and improve the security of the United States and our allies?  These are just a few of the questions that come to mind.”  

Statement released by Senator Joni Ernst, July 14:

“Iran’s quarter century effort to obtain a nuclear weapon and long-standing support for terrorism will not subside overnight. We also cannot trust that Iran is complying with limitations on their nuclear program without stronger inspections. It is paramount that we are able to verify and enforce every aspect of Iranian compliance in order to confront and contain their nuclear ambitions.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) today released the following statement on the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran:

“The 60 days will allow Congress and the American people to thoroughly scrutinize every aspect of the agreement with Iran. While I am still reviewing the details, I have very serious concerns that this agreement concedes too much to Iran and will ultimately strengthen the pathway for Iran to achieve a nuclear weapon. The bottom line, Iran must never be allowed to develop a single nuclear weapon – not now or at any point in the future.

“Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and has aligned themselves with groups that are hostile to the United States and our allies. Therefore, we cannot afford premature sanction relief which has helped to curb Iranian support of terrorist activity. We cannot trust that Iran won’t use additional resources as an opportunity to fund terrorism and other proxy groups which pose a direct threat to our allies and national security interests in the region.

“Iran’s quarter century effort to obtain a nuclear weapon and long-standing support for terrorism will not subside overnight. We also cannot trust that Iran is complying with limitations on their nuclear program without stronger inspections. It is paramount that we are able to verify and enforce every aspect of Iranian compliance in order to confront and contain their nuclear ambitions.

“Iran is one of the greatest threats to peace and stability of our time, and we have a duty to stand behind our friends and closest ally in the region – Israel.  The stakes are too high for the United States to risk any mistakes in an agreement with Iran.  I look forward to carefully reviewing this deal in Congress to make sure we preserve our own national security and the pursuit of stability in the world.”

In May, Senator Ernst voted in favor of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act which certifies that no congressional sanction can be lifted during the review period and safeguards congressional oversight of Iranian compliance. Senator Ernst is a cosponsor of the legislation and previously spoke on the Senate floor calling for congressional approval of any final deal with Iran. Watch here.

Senator Joni Ernst serves as Iowa’s junior Senator. She is a member of the Armed Services Committee; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

Statement released by Representative Rod Blum (IA-01):

WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, the Obama Administration announced the completion of an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (China, Russia, United Kingdom, France, United States and Germany) countries regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Congressman Rod Blum issued the following statement reacting to the news:

“I cannot stress enough my concerns about negotiating with the world’s largest state sponsor of global terrorism. Despite any good intentions of the deal, a preliminary review of the agreement shows it falls short of stopping Iran from further developing military nuclear abilities while allowing Iran to continue funding terrorism with a “signing bonus” of up to $50 billion in relief from sanctions – nearly double their annual military budget.”

“Especially troubling is the component of the agreement that will maintain a 14 day notification process for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect any undeclared facilities. If Iran is truly committed to transparency then anytime/anywhere inspections should have been part of the deal from the beginning.”

“Additionally, this agreement does not completely dismantle the nuclear program within Iran nor prevent Iran from acquiring ballistic missiles, as the agreement expires after 10 years and the arms ban is only 5 years long – or earlier if the IAEA can be convinced the nuclear program is entirely peaceful.”

“Further, there is no mention of securing the release of the three American citizens being wrongly held by Iran. This is simply irresponsible of the Administration to permit these Americans to remain in Iranian custody.”

“I look forward to reviewing the agreement in more detail over the next 60 days, and if in fact the deal is as bad as initially reported, will work to make sure that Congress does everything possible to block the agreement.”

Statement released by Representative Dave Loebsack (IA-02):

“From the beginning I have said that the most important aspect of these talks must be to ensure that Iran is not able to develop nuclear weapons. Now that the P5+1 has come to an agreement with Iran, it is time for Congress to perform its constitutional duty of oversight and carefully look at the final product. I look forward to analyzing the agreement and will continue to discuss the details with folks in my district, my colleagues and arms control experts.”

Representative Steve King (IA-04) released a video statement expressing skepticism about the deal. He said he would “look at the details” but asserted that it is “not a good deal” and could spark a new arms race in the Middle East.  

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