Republican House Armed Service Chair Warns Trump Against Leaving Iran Deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican leader of the House Armed Services Committee said President Trump should not walk away from the Iran nuclear deal.
President Trump is facing a May 12 deadline on whether to re-impose sanctions against Iran. Texas Congressman Mac Thornberry said on Fox News Sunday it would be a mistake for Trump to scuttle the nuclear accord reached with Tehran. “I would counsel against it,” he said.
As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Thornberry is considered a key Republican voice on national security issues. Thornberry said that while he was opposed to the deal when it was signed by the Obama Administration in 2015, exiting the agreement now would erode Washington’s leverage against Tehran.
“I thought it was a bad deal,” he said. “But the key question is, ok, what happens next if the U.S. pulls out? Does Iran kick out those inspectors so we lose the visibility we have?”
Trump has signaled he may tear up the 2015 deal and re-impose sanctions later this month. Trump Administration officials have said the nuclear accord fails to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and will allow Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program after some of its provisions expire.
Thornberry said that Trump should work with European allies to address these shortcomings in the accord. But scuttling the deal, he said, would take pressure off Iran by dividing Washington from its allies.
“The Europeans are not going to re-impose sanctions so where does that leave us and Iran?” he said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30