House Dem: Iran deal ‘simply too dangerous’

A House Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee came out against the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday, as the White House seeks to gather Democratic support. 

Rep. Grace Meng (N.Y.) said the “deal before us now is simply too dangerous for the American people.” 

“I strongly believe the world could and should have a better deal than that set forth in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which I will therefore oppose,” said Meng, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East. 

{mosads}Meng added that she would continue to study the finer points of the deal, but said, “they will not be dispositive for me.” 

Her remarks come a day after she questioned Secretary of State John Kerry and other top administration officials during a panel hearing on Tuesday. They also come hours before House Democrats head to the White House to discuss the deal. 

Congress is expected to vote on the deal this fall, and a resolution of disapproval would prevent the president from lifting U.S. sanctions on Iran, killing the agreement. The White House could veto that resolution, but would then need at least a third of Congress to help sustain that veto.

The stakes are high. Supporters of the deal say if it’s rejected, the international sanctions regime on Iran would fall apart, and the U.S. would have to resort to military action to prevent Iran from getting a deal. Opponents say the deal — which would cement a diplomatic achievement for the president — would give Iran a pathway to get a bomb after the deal expires, and is not strong enough to detect violations. 

Meng called the inspections procedures “flawed,” and said leading nuclear experts have asserted that inspectors would “not necessarily know” if Iran was manufacturing uranium components for a nuclear weapon. 

“This is unacceptable,” she said. 

“Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that almost all of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would remain intact; this leads me to believe Iran would simply resume its pursuit of a nuclear weapon at the conclusion of the deal in a decade’s time,” she added. 

“Finally, the immediate sanctions relief provided Iran in the deal would incentivize the funding of terrorism and lessen Iran’s interest in restraining its nuclear ambitions over the long term,” she said. 

She commended President Obama and Kerry for their efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. 

“I have every confidence a better deal can be realized,” she said.