Bob Goodlatte: Iran’s bad behavior stuck on repeat

Did you ever have any old records or CDs that just got stuck after a while? When it comes to the United States’ dealings with Iran, it seems like the record is stuck on repeat. Hardly a week goes by without another news story about Iran’s questionable actions on the global stage. The Iran Nuclear Agreement was a bad deal from the start, and one that I firmly opposed. Now, several months into its implementation, it’s easier than ever to see the flaws in this half-baked policy.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to an $8.6 million dollar purchase of 32 tons of heavy water from Iran, which is an important component in nuclear reactors. It’s perplexing as to why the United States would agree to this purchase, especially when U.S. taxpayer dollars could be used to essentially subsidize Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile program, and other destabilizing activities in the region. Iran is required to diminish supplies of heavy water under the nuclear agreement, but should the United States be paying them to do so? All the while, Iran continues to conduct ballistic missile tests in defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted last year. These hostile actions do very little to instill any real confidence in Iran’s commitment to upholding their side of the nuclear agreement and bring into question the Administration’s judgement.

It is increasingly clear that the Obama Administration is reluctant to stand up to the Iranian regime. The United States cannot repeatedly reward the Iranian regime’s bad behavior. I look forward to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Thursday of next week which will further examine many of these concerns about Iran’s actions. Click here for more information.

Turning a blind eye to their misdeeds is not the way forward. I will continue working to provide greater oversight of the nuclear agreement to help ensure that our nation is safe from the threat of nations like Iran. This pattern of bad behavior from Iran must not be tolerated.

Bob Goodlatte represents the Sixth District of Virginia in Congress.