A Bad Deal

Senator Deb Fischer

 Like so many Nebraskans who have contacted me to express their opposition to the president’s deal with Iran, I have a number of concerns about the agreement.

President Obama’s deal neither advances nor protects America’s interests. I am troubled by both the broad scale and highly technical aspects of this deal. The fact that inspectors will not have the access to the sites they need to verify Iran’s compliance with this agreement is alarming. Furthermore, I do not believe there is an effective mechanism for punishing Iran, if and when they violate this agreement. 

Put simply, this deal will not stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. All meaningful restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program expire in 15 years. At that point, Iran’s nuclear program will be legitimized and it will be free to build an industrial-scale enrichment program. 

This means the “one-year-breakout” time the administration has used to defend this deal is only temporary.  

Some argue that even if this deal does not permanently prohibit Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it’s still better than the status quo. Even if we’re right back where we started in 10 or 15 years, they insist, buying time isn’t a bad thing. But we won’t be right back where we started – we’ll be in a far worse position.

Iran’s current program was built in violation of its Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations and U.N. Security Council resolutions. The illegality of its program was the basis for international sanctions. Now, with this deal, Iran’s program will be in good standing with the NPT and the sanctions regime will be repealed. That means if the United States sought to limit Iran’s program after 15 years, we would need to rebuild a sanctions regime from scratch and attempt to develop support for targeting a program that, under this agreement, is deemed to be acceptable. 

How likely is it that sanctions could ever be imposed if Iran rapidly expands its program after year 15 of this agreement? I think it will be incredibly unlikely.  

Moreover, I’m worried about the significant rewards Iran will reap as part of this deal. Iran will receive access to tens of billions of dollars now frozen as a result of sanctions. With sanctions repealed, trade will resume and Iran’s economy will grow. This influx of cash means the Iranian regime will have more money to fund terrorist proxies all over the world. 

Additionally, the American delegation’s last-minute decision to lift the U.N. embargos on the sale of conventional weapons and ballistic missile technology to Iran is a victory for them. Our top military advisors have repeatedly warned against this, at all cost. Because of the administration’s concession, we have fewer tools to limit Iran’s military development, specifically its ability to build a missile capable of reaching the United States. 

I simply cannot support an agreement that attempts to trade inadequate, short-term limits for dangerous, long-term concessions.  

As your senator, my most important duty is providing for our national security and protecting our country from threats. In the days, weeks, and years to come, I will continue working to ensure this remains our top priority. 

Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.