U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said Saturday that he opposes President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with the regime in Iran, dimming hopes that the deal could acquire a bipartisan flavor.
“I cannot vote in support of this deal,” Sen. Flake said in a statement on his website. “As written, this agreement gives Iran leverage it currently doesn’t have.”
Sen. Flake, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is seen as a maverick on foreign policy within his party and the Republican most likely to side with the administration on Iran.
None of Senate’s 54 Republicans had come out in favor of the Iran nuclear deal as of Aug. 13. Eighteen out of 44 Senate Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them were in favor of the accord, which must be voted on before a Sept. 17 deadline. Senator Charles Schumer is the sole opposing Democrat so far.
Flake said that while the deal limits the Iranian regime’s ability to produce sufficient material for a nuclear weapon for a period of time, it also limits the ability of Congress and future administrations to respond to Tehran’s non-nuclear regional behavior.
“Iran has already stipulated that it will view the imposition of new or similar sanctions as a breach” of the agreement, Sen. Flake said.
He added that the fact that the deal is being presented to the Senate as an executive agreement rather than a treaty means that lawmakers can’t insist on clarifications.
“I am continuing to encourage the administration to work with Congress on legislation to accompany consideration” of the Iran deal “to clarify the sanctions issue,” Sen. Flake said.
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