GOP Lawmakers Voice Suspicion Of Iran Deal

Away from Washington for spring break since March 26, Republican members of Congress have kept up a drumbeat of opposition to the framework of a nuclear deal between the United States and allies with Iran.

President Obama hailed the agreement last week, saying it “would cut off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.”

The Republican speaker of the U.S. House, Ohio Congressman John Boehner, said Tuesday that his longtime concerns about Iranian nuclear ambitions have not been eased by the deal.

Mr. Boehner got word of the agreement while traveling in the Middle East last week. The president called to brief him.

“It would be naive to suggest the Iranian regime will not continue to use its nuclear program, and any economic relief, to further destabilize the region,” the speaker said in the aftermath of his trip abroad, noting that Congress would press for details about the deal.

“We will stand strong on behalf of the American people and everyone in the Middle East who values freedom, security and peace.”

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt has made the case that Congress needs to have a role in any nuclear arrangement made with Iran. He signed a letter to Iranian leaders last month insisting such a deal would not have any weight with a future president unless the legislative branch voted for it.

“We think the next president will want to be bound by it, too,” Mr. Blunt, a Republican, said at a meeting with the Springfield Chamber of Commerce last week.

“The Iranian foreign minister said this is international law that matters. Not the law of any individual country. There is no coffee shop in Missouri where that argument would win.”

North Missouri Congressman Sam Graves said in his weekly newsletter to constituents that the United States should have “extreme suspicion” about Iran and its nuclear program.

“Iran has continued to violate international agreements, has hidden nuclear sites from inspectors and has continued its march towards becoming a nuclear state,” the Republican lawmaker said.

He added, “This deal could do serious harm to the future of the Middle East and to the security of the United States and our allies, particularly Israel.”

In an interview with National Public Radio, Mr. Obama said Tuesday that Iran has hard-liners that want to destroy the United States and Israel, but also moderates who want to focus on the nation’s economy and will be strengthened by the nuclear deal.

“We’re now in a position where Iran has agreed to unprecedented inspections and verifications of its program, providing assurances that it is peaceful in nature,” the president said.

“You have assurances that their stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains in a place where they cannot create a nuclear weapon.”

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