Schumer: Iran wins in nuclear agreement

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) panned the new nuclear agreement with Iran on Sunday, insisting it “does not seem proportional.” 

Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, and a strong supporter of Israel, said that Iran got much more than it gave up in the deal.

{mosads}Some Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have said that Congress could move forward with further sanctions legislation against Iran but to delay its implementation for six months to allow time to gauge the deal.

But Schumer would only say Sunday that the agreement makes sanctions more likely, even as he said that he hoped the Obama administration met its goal of hoping to eliminate Iran’s ability to create a nuclear weapon.

“This disproportionality of this agreement makes it more likely that Democrats and Republicans will join together and pass additional sanctions when we return in December,” Schumer said in a statement. “I intend to discuss that possibility with my colleagues.”

Under the deal finalized this weekend, Iran faces relaxed sanctions, at least temporarily. In exchange, Iran agreed to tougher outside inspections and to cap its nuclear stockpile.

“It was strong sanctions, not the goodness of the hearts of the Iranian leaders, that brought Iran to the table, and any reduction relieves the psychological pressure of future sanctions and gives them hope that they will be able to gain nuclear weapon capability while further sanctions are reduced,” Schumer said.

“A fairer agreement would have coupled a reduction in sanctions with a proportionate reduction in Iranian nuclear capability.”