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Blaine's Bulletin: The Nuclear Agreement with Iran is a Bad Deal

It is evident the United States is facing more threats now than in recent history. That is why I was deeply concerned when this week; the Obama Administration announced that a group of nations, led by the United States reached a nuclear agreement with Iran.

It is evident the United States is facing more threats now than in recent history. That is why I was deeply concerned when this week; the Obama Administration announced that a group of nations, led by the United States reached a nuclear agreement with Iran.

So far, I am incredibly troubled about what I have read about this agreement. From the details I have read at this point, it is clear this deal does not prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons in the future. It seems the administration is taking a leap of faith in working with Iran. That is extremely troubling when the Iranian regime has proven time and again they cannot be trusted. 

Throughout these negotiations, it was my belief the most important goal was to ensure that Iran could not develop the ability to manufacture a nuclear weapon. The only two ways to ensure this goal would be accomplished would be to eliminate the Iran enrichment program or ensure anytime, anywhere inspections of all Iran nuclear facilities. However, from the information that I have seen so far, it would appear that neither of these provisions were included in the final deal.

It is troubling that the administration outright ignored 367 Members of Congress when we sent a letter to the president stating that a deal must last for multiple decades and include full disclosure of Iran’s past efforts to build a nuclear weapon, a dramatic reduction in the number of centrifuges, as well as intrusive inspection and verification measures. On all four counts, this agreement does not meet the requests from an overwhelming majority of Congress.

The official text of the agreement and all classified documents must be submitted to Congress within 5 days of signing the agreement. But what I know at this point, the administration has solidified Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities. Over the next couple of weeks, I will thoroughly review the details of the agreement. The House of Representatives has 60 days to review the agreement and there will be a vote within that time. Please know that I will not support a deal that is bad for our country, our allies, or for the safety of our national security.