WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Rob Portman is supporting President Trump's announcement that the administration will decertify the Iran nuclear deal.
Portman, a long-time critic of the deal, says the agreement reached in 2015 hasn't stopped Iran from working towards a nuclear weapon.
"“I have long opposed the Iran nuclear agreement because I did not believe it was in America’s national security interests. This deeply-flawed agreement, which was opposed by a bipartisan majority in the Senate, has empowered Iran to increase its destabilizing activities throughout the region, while at best pausing—not dismantling—Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons and delivery systems," Portman said Friday in a statement.
"I look forward to hearing more from the administration about how it plans to engage our allies as we move forward, particularly when it comes to addressing some of the biggest weaknesses in the agreement, such as Iran’s ballistic missile program, international inspectors’ access to Iranian military sites, and the sunset timeline for key provisions. It is critically important that we put in place a comprehensive regional strategy to combat Iran’s influence and hold it accountable for both its nuclear program and its destabilizing non-nuclear activities, including its support for sectarian militias and terrorist groups like Hezbollah, human rights violations, and increasing involvement in conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I look forward to considering legislation to address many of the issues the President raised in his speech today.”