Bridenstine: Necessary Conditions For An Iran Deal
Necessary conditions for an Iran deal
By JIM BRIDENSTINE
Decades ago, Henry Kissinger asked if Iran’s leaders wanted their country to be “a nation or a cause” — a normal “nation” which contributes to regional stability or a “cause” which sets the Middle East on fire. The mullahs in Tehran are soon to give answer to Kissinger’s question, although expectations are that Tuesday’s negotiations deadline will be missed.
Congressional sanctions brought Iran to the negotiating table after years of delay, obfuscation and outright lies. Congress will review any final agreement and vote on disapproving sanctions relief. I will only support an agreement which ensures Iran never gets nuclear weapons capability. No deal is better than a bad one.
Let’s remember that the United States is not exactly negotiating with Switzerland. The U.S. State Department recently reported that Iran is continuing to violate its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and a host of U.N. Security Council Resolutions. In a separate report, the State Department also concluded that “Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism worldwide remains undiminished” including Hezbollah and Hamas who want to destroy Israel. Iranian proxies now effectively control the fate of four Arab states in the world’s most unstable region — Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria — and are threatening Jordan.