Sanctions relief for Iran will be here for the long term, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) lamented Saturday, predicting it would be “next to impossible” to snap penalties back in place if the country reneges on the nuclear agreement.
The West Virginia freshman criticized the “partisan minority” who successfully blocked the Senate from disapproving of the deal struck between the Obama administration, Iran and five other countries.
“Unfortunately, a partisan minority in the Senate blocked a bipartisan majority from even taking a true up-or-down vote on whether the nuclear agreement should be approved,” she said in the GOP’s weekly address.
It became increasingly clear this week that Republicans could not muster the 60 votes necessary to overcome a procedural hurdle and disapprove the deal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) held multiple votes this month all the way up until the Thursday deadline for Congress to review the deal. Ultimately, however, only four Senate Democrats crossed over.
The whole affair was enough to spur an influential group of House Republicans to urge GOP leaders to change its rules, but there is little chance that will happen.
Capito said Iran is “not a credible player” and the impending sanctions relief will only increase its ability to “sponsor the Syrian regime, support Hezbollah and threaten our allies.”
“The President has said that sanctions will go back into effect if Iran violates this agreement, but let’s be clear, reversing course will be next to impossible,” she predicted.
She asserted the United States was left with a bad deal because Obama “operated from a position of concession.”
“With these negotiations, the President had an opportunity to use the leverage created by international sanctions to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program,” she said.
“He had an opportunity to show leadership and restore our standing in the world. Yet instead, this is a deal that fails to meet even the administration’s own objectives.”