U.S. Senator Jeff Flake Opposes Iran Nuclear Deal

The junior Republican Senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, has recently come out in opposition to the proposed Iran Nuclear Deal, according to the Arizona Republic. Flake, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also posted a link to his statement on Twitter, which detailed his reasons for opposing the nuclear deal.

My statement on the Iran nuclear deal: http://t.co/g0IIdXQu0s

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) August 15, 2015

Flake recently accompanied Secretary of State John Kerry to the reopening ceremony of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. While on the a plane, Flake said they discussed the Iranian nuclear deal, but expressed doubt to the Arizona Republic that the Obama Administration would be inclined to allow Congress to become more involved in the deal especially when it comes to sanctions.

A vote is scheduled to take in place in Congress in September. The controversial nuclear deal is center stage in the minds of members of Congress, especially those Republicans who are trying to block the deal. Yet, even if Congressional approval is not obtained, President Obama can still move forward. According to the Chicago Tribune, the President can still take limited measures to lift some of the economic sanctions that are in place, provided the Iranians are keeping up with their end of the deal.

Although it is expected the republican-led Senate and House of Representatives will prevail in their opposition vote in September, President Obama is expected to veto any resolution passed by Congress. Many political experts agree that once the President vetos the resolution to a nuclear deal with Iran, the U.S. Senate will have a difficult time in mustering the 67 votes required to override his veto. Not all U.S. Democrats support the nuclear deal in its entirety. Around ten House Democrats oppose the current deal with Iran.

The Iran Nuclear Deal has sparked global controversy, as many fear giving Iran the green-light to begin limited uranium enrichment will lead to state-sponsored nuclear terrorism, which could compromise the national security of the United States, among others.

The widespread political debate is not limited to U.S. criticism. Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears that a nuclear deal involving Iran would lead to the production of nuclear weaponry. Natanyahu, addressing the American Congress last March, says that the majority of Israelis share his concerns in giving Iran the capability to produce nuclear power, according to Reuters.

The Iran Nuclear Deal will allow Iran to begin producing nuclear material for the purposes of power production and will remove some economic sanctions in exchange for Iran’s cooperation in limiting its nuclear program to peaceful purposes.

[Photo via Mark Wilson / Getty Images]