By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Sunday, President Obama announced that a deal has been reached with Iran regarding the use of nuclear weapons.
Republican Candidate for the 1st Congressional District of Alabama, Bradley Byrne from Montrose, released a written statement after the president’s announcement. Former State Senator Byrne said,
“Yesterday’s announcement in Geneva is a dangerous step forward for the international community and our most important ally in the Middle East, Israel. This deal allows Iran to enrich uranium while easing sanctions that took years to implement, a combination that will have devastating effects on the security and stability of the region. We should not loosen sanctions established by the United Nations Security Council and should instead protect our ally, Israel, by not allowing Iran to enrich uranium and continue their progress towards obtaining nuclear weapons capabilities.”
Sen. Byrne was not alone in his condemnation of the deal that President Obama reached with Iran’s Shiite leaders.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D) from New York said to a Jewish group,
“Democrats and Republicans are going to work together to see that we don’t let up on these sanctions…until Iran gives up not only its nuclear weapons, but all nuclear weapon capability, all enriched uranium. Every time the Arab world, the Palestinians, have risen against us, we have risen to defeat them. The one existential threat to Israel’s existence is a nuclear Iran.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R) called the President’s deal with Iran,
“Unacceptable,” and “I think this interim deal with Iran is, in fact, Dangerous. It is a deal that brings Iran closer to becoming a nuclear power.”
Whether or not to lift sanctions with Iran will be an issue that Congress will have to address in coming weeks.
Both Saudi Arabia and Israel have been critical of the deal, while Ayatollah Khomeini has declared victory in the deal.
Bradley Byrne hopes that he is part of that debate. Byrne still faces Democrat, Burton LeFlore in a December special election.
Alabama’s First Congressional District became vacant when Rep. Jo Bonner (R) from Mobile resigned to accept a position working for the University of Alabama system.
