Bob Goodlatte: Good deal for Iran, bad deal for America

In 1994, President Bill Clinton announced a deal with North Korea aimed at curbing their nuclear ambitions. North Korea was to freeze and dismantle their nuclear program, but they were caught cheating and the deal fell apart leaving a nuclear-capable North Korea in its wake.

We now find ourselves in a similar situation. Just a few days ago, President Obama announced a deal between the United States, five other nations, and Iran. The Administration has painted it as a long-term agreement that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, suggesting that if we don’t agree to this deal we are somehow worse off than we are now. Like all agreements of this nature, it deserves thorough scrutiny. However, much of what we know thus far sounds like while it may be a good deal for Iran, it’s a bad deal for America.

In March, I joined 367 bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to President Obama outlining several conditions that any final nuclear agreement must address. This agreement fails to adequately address the conditions set forth by this bipartisan group. A bad deal will not gain traction in this Congress, and initial reports seem to give Iran everything they want – sanctions relief and continued ability to work on their nuclear ambitions – without any real agreement or oversight to shut down their nuclear efforts. It also lifts the arms embargo against Iran over the next several years and fails to guarantee “anytime, anywhere” inspections of suspicious sites, instead giving Iran 24 days to comply with inspections. Iran’s continued role in fueling instability in the region also brings their intentions to uphold any agreement into question.

Any agreement that loosens sanctions without truly and transparently permanently shutting down Iran’s pathway to a bomb is not a good deal for America. Our history with North Korea is proof of that. Congress now has 60 days to consider the agreement, and we will exert our authority to block a bad deal that endangers our freedom. I have said for quite some time that no deal with Iran is better than a bad deal. I do not want to see the mistakes of the past repeated by this Administration.

Bob Goodlatte represents Virginia’s Sixth District in Congress.