On Tuesday, President Barack Obama and other Western leaders announced a deal with Iran had been reached with that nation over its nuclear program -- but the president will have a hard time getting voters in the Florida delegation to agree as he now turns his focus to Congress.
Obama announced the deal on Tuesday morning as Iran ends most of its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. If Iran fails to live up to its part, the sanctions would be returned.
“Today, because America negotiated from a position of strength and principle, we have stopped the spread of nuclear weapons in this region,” Obama said on Tuesday. “Because of this deal, the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon.”
Republicans in charge of both congressional chambers are pushing back on the deal and Obama is clearly gearing up for a fight.
“This is not the time for politics or posturing,” Obama said. “Tough talk from Washington does not solve problems. Hard-nosed diplomacy, leadership that has united the world’s major powers offers a more effective way to verify that Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon.”
Obama has 60 days to get his deal with Iran through Congress and members of both parties representing Florida expressed skepticism and opposition to agreement.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for the Republican presidential nomination and sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, took aim at the deal.
“I have said from the beginning of this process that I would not support a deal with Iran that allows the mullahs to retain the ability to develop nuclear weapons, threaten Israel, and continue their regional expansionism and support for terrorism,” Rubio said on Tuesday. “Based on what we know thus far, I believe that this deal undermines our national security.
“President Obama has consistently negotiated from a position of weakness, giving concession after concession to a regime that has American blood on its hands, holds Americans hostage, and has consistently violated every agreement it ever signed,” Rubio added. “I expect that a significant majority in Congress will share my skepticism of this agreement and vote it down. Failure by the president to obtain congressional support will tell the Iranians and the world that this is Barack Obama’s deal, not an agreement with lasting support from the United States.”
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, also expressed her opposition to the agreement.
“As expected, the Obama administration has capitulated to the demands of the Iranians and has negotiated a weak and dangerous nuclear deal that undermines our national security and poses a threat to our allies in the region, especially the democratic Jewish state of Israel,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “We were repeatedly and forcefully told in Congress that this deal would only cover Iran's nuclear program, but now it is clear that Obama has agreed to lifting all U.N. Security Council sanctions, including the arms embargo on Iran and its ballistic missile technology.
“The president has moved the goal post back so many times on his own previous red lines on the nuclear deal that now Iran gets to keep its facilities at Fordow and Natanz and its Arak reactor will remain open for business,” Ros-Lehtinen added. “This deal sets in place every key component of a nuclear program that Iran needs to develop a weapon and, according to reports, the only mechanism for inspections will come as a result of consultations with Iran. Iran has been caught cheating throughout the negotiations, but the Obama administration has not been open or forthcoming. Obama officials have come to Iran’s defense every time, so it will only embolden Iran to continue its illicit activities. Congress must do our due diligence to examine this deal before the president can take it to the U.N. for a binding vote.”
Currently running for the Republican nomination to replace Rubio in 2016, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., the chairman of the House National Security Subcommittee and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, ripped the deal.
"This Iran deal gives Ayatollah Khamenei exactly what he wants: billions of dollars in sanctions relief, validation of the Iranian nuclear program, and the ability to stymie inspections,” DeSantis said on Tuesday. “It even lifts sanctions against Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers during the campaign in Iraq. The deal will further destabilize the Middle East, allow Iran to foment more terrorism, and aid Iran's rise as the dominant power in the region. By paving Iran's path to a nuclear weapon, the deal harms American national security and effectively stabs our close ally Israel, which Iran has threatened to wipe off the map, in the back. Congress needs to move swiftly to block this dangerous deal."
Even Democrats from Florida were not exactly rushing to support Obama’s deal with Iran.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), offered some reservations about the agreement.
“I look forward to reviewing in detail the deal our nation’s top negotiators and diplomats have put forward with Iran after months of tireless work. As I have said throughout the negotiations, any deal must ensure that Iran can never achieve their goal of developing a nuclear weapon,” Wasserman Schultz said on Tuesday. “Congress now has the critical role of carefully reviewing the details of this agreement to ensure that it protects our national security and that of our allies in the region, particularly Israel, and does not allow Iran to get away with cheating.
“I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting the Iran Nuclear Review Act of 2015 which gives us the responsibility of assessing whether this deal contains, at a minimum, crucial criteria, including: robust verification measures; access to information about past military dimensions; limits on technical research and development; phased sanctions relief; and an instant snapback of sanctions should Iran violate any aspect of the deal,” Wasserman Schultz added. “As I have said from the beginning, no deal is better than a bad deal, particularly given Iran’s horrific track-record of deception and continued facilitation of terrorism against the United States and our allies worldwide. Over the coming weeks, I will be discussing the details of this deal with the administration, technical experts and analysts, as well as my constituents and will be carefully assessing its provisions and implications. This is a critical decision and one that will require careful, thoughtful review.”
U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., running for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 Senate race in Florida, said he had concerns with the deal.
“A nuclear Iran is one of the greatest threats to the United States, our ally Israel, and to regional stability in the Middle East,” Murphy said on Tuesday. “The agreement reached between the P5+1 and Iran must guarantee that Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons. While I have concerns about this agreement, I look forward to reviewing this entire proposal and having Congress provide rigorous oversight in the coming weeks.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
