Joe Lieberman warns Biden against rushing to rejoin Iran deal

Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman warned on Thursday that the U.S. would go back to a “much worse time” if President-elect Joe Biden moves to quickly rejoin the Iran nuclear deal.

In an appearance on Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria,” the former Democratic senator turned independent said he was “concerned” about the incoming Biden administration’s approach to Iran. He argued that the Obama-era nuclear deal was a “mistake” and that the U.S. would be better off applying “maximum pressure” against Tehran.

He pointed to recent peace accords signed by Arab countries and Israel, saying, “These are real peace agreements that are taking shape.”

“If the Biden administration rushes back into negotiations with Iran and lets them off easy, we’re going to slide back into a much worse time,” he added.

Biden has said that he wants to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, but he would face an uphill battle as the Trump administration levies more sanctions and sells weapons to Iran’s enemies with just two months left in President Trump’s tenure. 

The Trump administration announced new sanctions on Wednesday targeting three senior Iran officials, a so-called charitable organization related to Iran’s supreme leader and entities targeting key sectors of Iran’s economy. 

While traveling through the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that more sanctions will be imposed “in the coming weeks and months.” 

Despite looking forward to Biden’s presidency, Lieberman said that Trump “got it right” with his maximum pressure campaign, and said he “hoped” that the Biden administration would continue it. 

“I hope that the Biden administration will continue that,” Lieberman said, referring to Trump’s approach to Iran. “That’s the way we secure peace in the Middle East for our allies.”