It was announced Tuesday that several nations, including the United States, have reached an agreement with Iran concerning its nuclear program. Supporters of the deal hailed it as a diplomatic achievement. Iran agreed to accept some curbing of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Uranium enrichment is, according to the plan, to be kept under the amount needed for a nuclear bomb.
Speaking to the media, Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz said that the deal would not stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“I hardly think this is a good deal for the United States of America. Iran gets both billions of dollars and the ability to develop its nuclear program. I don’t think the fundamentals have changed. Iran is still one of the great sponsors of terrorism,” Chaffetz said. “They are causing havoc throughout the world with Yemen, Israel, Saudi Arabia; they’ve been threatening to the United States of America. Why would we do this? It makes no sense to me. Iran with a nuclear bomb is one of the greatest threats to the world’s safety and security.”
The deal, which was finalized over 17 intense days of negotiation, stipulates that Iran’s nuclear program must be subject to international observation. Republican Rep. Rob Bishop released a statement in which he expressed his doubts about Iran’s trustworthiness.
“I fear that the proposed deal does nothing to prevent Iran form having nuclear weapon capabilities,” Bishop said. “Iran’s record of clandestine activity and intransigence prevents any trust in Iran.”
The current arms embargo against Iran will remain in place for at least the next five years, with restrictions on ballistic missile technology remaining for another eight years.
