Retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis on Friday took the Obama administration to task over the White House’s nuclear development deal with Iran’s regime.
Gen. Mattis, a former U.S. Central Command chief known for his blunt, plain-spoken command style, took that same tact in levying his strong criticisms of the Iran deal during a speech at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies on Friday, The Washington Times reported.
He characterized the deal struck between Washington and Tehran as an “imperfect” agreement that does not eliminate, but simply delays, Tehran’s efforts to become a nuclear power.
“It [was] not a friendship treaty,” the retired four-star general said. “It’s an arms control agreement that fell short.”
President Obama inked the deal with Iran’s regime and other world leaders last July, in which Tehran agreed to freeze its efforts to build a nuclear weapon in exchange for the rollback on some of crippling sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.
“Iran will cheat … that’s the sense you get when reading” the terms of the nuclear agreement, Gen. Mattis said, adding that the Iranian regime is “not a nation state, but a revolutionary cause intent on mayhem.”
Gen. Mattis suggested Congress create an oversight committee, consisting of members from the intelligence, foreign affairs and armed services panels, to ensure the mullahs’ regime continues to comply with the deal. He also suggested Washington bolster its ties with regional intelligence agencies, like those in Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to ensure American officials are fully informed on Tehran’s nuclear activities.
