Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has shown she’s not afraid to speak out against the Obama administration.

On Wednesday, the Republican continued that trend, speaking on the Senate floor against a recent nuclear deal reached with Iran.

Republicans, including Capito, have decried the deal, saying it is flawed and doesn’t go far enough in preventing the Mideast country from growing its nuclear ambitions.

“Any agreement with Iran should include rigorous and immediate inspections of suspected nuclear sites,” Capito said. “There has been much talk and hope of an anywhere, anytime inspection regime. But anywhere, anytime inspections are not what this agreement provides.”

Capito’s Democratic counterpart, Sen. Joe Manchin, has indicated he is “leaning toward” supporting the deal. Manchin and other Democrats say the only other viable option is to go to war. The fact is, other options do exist but the Obama administration has opted to ignore them in favor of this flawed, potentially dangerous deal.

Iran poses a grave threat to America and other Mideast countries, especially Israel. The Obama administration once said it would call for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear weapons, but now has created a pathway to a sustained nuclear program in the country.

Diplomacy is the preferred way to avoid war. Yes, President George W. Bush warned against negotiating with terrorists, but a well-crafted agreement would protect America’s interests and promote Mideast peace by cutting off Iran’s nuclear program.

“The sanctions passed by this Congress, together with the sanctions that were built in concert with our foreign allies over the course of a decade, were what brought Iran to the negotiating table in the first place,” Capito said Wednesday. “Those sanctions should be kept in place and strengthened until Iran is forced to accept a deal that actually makes the region safer.”

We can, and should, exhaust all diplomatic options before waging another expensive, avoidable war.

The future safety and security of America depends on the critical decisions made now. Iran has shown time and again it cannot be trusted. Past experience, present threats and future security should be considered and weighed heavily when discussing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

“America does not have to accept a bad deal,” Capito said.

No, we don’t. And we shouldn’t.