ATLANTA — The Georgia congressional delegation’s reaction to the Iranian nuclear deal announced Tuesday split along partisan lines.
In a dawn speech at the White House, President Barack Obama said the historic nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran will stop the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East by providing the tools to verify Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon.
But Peach State Republicans said the agreement is bad for America, Israel and the Middle East.
“We knew from the beginning that any deal negotiated by the Obama administration would not go far enough to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon or protect Israel from a nuclear Iran,” said U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville. “The president has facilitated cooperation with a country that openly chants ‘Death to America’ in the streets.”
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., was more measured in his response, emphasizing that Congress will have 60 days to review the agreement. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he vowed to scrutinize the deal closely.
“Right now, I remain extremely concerned that this deal does not go far enough to fully prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability and ensure anytime, anywhere inspections access of all nuclear and military sites,” Perdue said. “If this requires walking away from such a deal and strengthening sanctions, I will encourage President Obama to consider this course of action.”
Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., also promised to study the deal closely. But he begins that review with a skeptical view of the agreement.
“Iranians have never proven to be trustworthy negotiators, nor have they been trustworthy in their actions with the United States,” Isakson said. “I will not be part of any agreement that allows the Iranians to develop a nuclear weapon that could harm the state of Israel, the United States of America or any other peace-loving country in the world.”
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Stone Mountain, praised Obama’s leadership in negotiating the agreement.
“The president has delivered on his promise to seek solutions through diplomacy, not war,” Johnson said. “No deal means a greater chance of more war in the Middle East.”
The agreement calls for Iran to submit to international inspection of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
“This deal is not built on trust,” Obama said. “It is built on verification.”
The president threatened to veto any move by Congress to block the agreement.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
