U.S. Sen. David Perdue said he would reject a deal designed to place new limits on Iran's nuclear program because it "paves the way for a nuclear Iran."
Speaking by phone after a swing through the Middle East, the Georgia Republican raised questions about the deal that would reduce Iran's stockpile of nuclear fuel and its capacity to produce new fuel for an atomic weapon. The agreement, two years in the making, was announced while he was on the trip.
"This deal should not be accepted. We need to reinforce and double-down on the sanctions," he said. "They have cheated on it, cheated on it, and cheated on it. There's no reason to believe they're going to become a good actor overnight."
Key Congressional leaders are skeptical of the agreement, but it remains unclear whether President Barack Obama will need the legislative branch's approval to sign the deal. Perdue is among many Republicans, and some Democrats, who say Congress should have an oversight role.
Perdue, who was elected in November, spoke from Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom after a delegation visit to Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. He met with four heads of state, five ambassadors, several military commanders and troops from Georgia.
The visit came about a month after Perdue's first official trip abroad brought him to Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has warned that the Iranian deal could threaten the nation's future.
Perdue said on this trip he was particularly impressed with a visit to Erbil, the Kurdish-controlled town in northern Iraq that has fended off repeated attacks from Islamic State militants. He also said the military forces of Iraq and Afghanistan were showing signs of improvement.
"I was afraid we might have to have many, many more of our troops on the ground," he said. "But the progress we see in Iraq makes me confident that this isn't going to be necessary."
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