By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, July 14, Congress members Bradley Byrne (R-Montrose), Martha Roby (R-Montgomery), and Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) issued statements in response to the announced nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, France, China, United Kingdom, Russia, and Germany.
US Representative Bradley Byrne said: “From the start of these talks I have warned that President Obama and his negotiating team were desperate for a foreign policy victory, and I fear the safety of Americans and our allies in the Middle East will be at greater risk because of this deal.”
Representative Robert Aderholt posted on Twitter, “I am skeptical on the ?#?IranDeal + fear lifted sanctions will fund instability in the Middle East. As the saying goes, the devil will be in the details.”
Congresswoman Roby said, “We’ve known for weeks now that Secretary Kerry and negotiators have been back-peddling, but I had hoped that by speaking out we could encourage them to strengthen their adherence to American interests. Unfortunately, that hasn’t worked.”
Rep. Byrne said, “Iran is no friend of the United States, and we should all be concerned about what they will do with billions of dollars in sanctions relief. Even Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey has stated that sanctions relief would allow Iran to send more money to terrorist groups in the Middle East.”
Rep. Roby said, “The Obama Administration has insisted for years that Iran does not have a right to enrich uranium and that any lifting of sanctions would come with requiring Iran to acknowledge and dismantle their nuclear weapon program. What was announced today fails to meet even those basic objectives, and Americans should be very disappointed that President Obama and Secretary Kerry abandoned their own goals to strike a deal with Iran.”
Rep. Byrne said, “Congress will now have an opportunity to closely scrutinize and vote on this agreement, and I call on my colleagues to look past the short-term rhetoric and instead focus on the long-term implications this deal could have on our national security and the safety of our allies abroad.”
Rep. Roby warned, “More broadly, I fear this deal will work to aggravate an already dangerous and volatile region. It’s no secret that Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. I fear this deal will only embolden those efforts with little more than hope that they’ll change their ways. Today, Iran’s decades of hostility and deception has been rewarded with a plum deal that ensures they’ll have a nuclear weapon before long. The message that sends to other rogue nations is dangerous and alarming.”
Congressman Byrne’s office said that when the Defense Intelligence Agency briefed the Armed Services Committee earlier this year, they stated in no uncertain terms that, “…Iran’s goal is to develop capabilities that would allow it [to] build missile-deliverable nuclear weapons… The regime faces no insurmountable technical barrier to producing a nuclear weapon, making Iran’s political will the central issue.”
Rep. Bradley Byrne said before the announcement, “This is not a negotiation. America is being played by the Iranians, and it is time for us to say that this is a bad deal, get away from it, and use our economic sanctions to keep the Iranians from getting a nuclear weapon. Time is not on our side in this matter. It is time for us to act decisively to keep the Iranians from getting a nuclear weapon.”
Rep. Roby said, “Congress has 60 days to review this deal and render its judgment. We must use this time to inspect this agreement carefully and judge it based on what was promised to Congress and to the American people.’ “I believe my colleagues on both sides of the aisle must prepare to stand up and assert our authority to stop a potentially bad deal from going forward on behalf of the American people.”
The Director of the American Center for Law & Justice President Jay Sekulow wrote, “The agreement reached between the United States and Iran is “unconscionable” because it leaves Pastor Saeed, a U.S. citizen, behind – imprisoned in Iran because of his Christian faith. It is unconscionable that the Obama Administration would sign a deal with Iran without securing the freedom of Pastor Saeed who has been imprisoned for nearly three years simply because of his Christian faith.”
Sekulow continued, “President Obama told the Abedini family face-to-face that he considered the release of Pastor Saeed a ‘top priority.’ How could that be a “top priority” when a deal is reached and Pastor Saeed is left behind? What happened today makes a bad deal even worse. We will now focus our attention on convincing Congress to reject this deal.”
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of American Pastor Saeed, said that she is deeply disappointed with Tuesday’s outcome: “I plead with Congress to ensure that my husband, an American citizen, is not left behind. With the announcement of a deal and yet silence as to the fate of Saeed and the other Americans held hostage in Iran, their fate lies now in the hands of Congress. I plead with each member of Congress to review the deal with our family at the forefront of their thoughts. Congress holds the key to bringing my husband home, to returning the father to my children. My children have desperately missed the loving embrace of their father for the last three years of their lives. They have grown up almost half of their lives without their father. Please help us ensure the remainder of their childhood includes both a mother and a father.”
Sekulow said, “Congresses has a voice, a choice to approve this deal and abandon the Americans or to reject the deal and demand Iran free the Americans. We’re working directly in Congress, demanding Members of Congress vote to reject the deal. Already the House of Representatives and Senate have voted unanimously to demand Iran release Pastor Saeed and the other wrongfully imprisoned Americans. Now those same Members of Congress will have the opportunity to reject any deal until those American’s are freed.”
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued his own statement after the Obama administration announced a final agreement in nuclear negotiations with Iran: “At the outset of these talks, the Obama administration said it would secure an agreement that affirmed Iran does not have a right to enrich and permanently dismantles the infrastructure of its nuclear programs. It said that sanctions would not be lifted until Iran met concrete, verifiable standards. And if these terms were not met, the president promised he would walk away.”
Speaker Boehner continued, “The American people and our allies were counting on President Obama to keep his word. Instead, the president has abandoned his own goals. His ‘deal’ will hand Iran billions in sanctions relief while giving it time and space to reach a break-out threshold to produce a nuclear bomb – all without cheating. Instead of making the world less dangerous, this ‘deal’ will only embolden Iran – the world’s largest sponsor of terror – by helping stabilize and legitimize its regime as it spreads even more violence and instability in the region. Instead of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, this deal is likely to fuel a nuclear arms race around the world.”
Speaker Boehner vowed, “The House of Representatives will review every detail of this agreement very closely, but I won’t support any agreement that jeopardizes the safety of the American people and all who value freedom and security. This isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats. It’s about right and wrong. And we will fight a bad deal that is wrong for our national security and wrong for our country.”
Congressman Bradley Byrne represents Alabama’s First Congressional District, and Robert Aderholt represents Alabama’s Third Congressional District. Congresswoman Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
