- The Washington Times - Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Sen. James Lankford said Wednesday that the nuclear deal gave Iran the exact tools it needed to finish a nuclear weapon.

“Anything that sets up a 10-year process to allow Iran to get to a nuclear weapon is a bad deal. It allowed them to do missile testing. That’s a bad deal,” Mr. Lankford, Oklahoma Republican, said on Fox Business.

President Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would withdraw from the nuclear agreement and seek to negotiate a new deal with stricter terms. He also began the process of reinstating the sanctions lifted under the agreement.

Mr. Lankford said the deal gave Iran the ability to continue nuclear production even with international inspectors monitoring their activities.

“They needed two things. They needed more time to be able to finish the delivery vehicle — a missile — and they needed more money to be able to finish their research. This deal gave them the two things they needed the most: time and money,” he said.

The senator added that the U.S. is now in a better negotiating position by leaving the agreement.

• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.

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