U.S. Rep. Scott Garret , U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance, and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey express skepticism about the framework for a nuclear deal with Iran

By Tony Rhodin | The Express-Times

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance said no sanctions should be lifted against Iran in a nuclear containment deal until the full agreement is scrutinized and approved by Congress.

Two other Republican members of Congress who represent the area say looking at Iran’s past and the country’s nuclear future require a skeptical view of any deal.

Iran has agreed in principle to a framework that would place significant restrictions on its nuclear program, extending the timeline for the creation of enough material for a nuclear weapon from two or three months to a year, the Associated Press reports. Negotiations will continue for another three months to hammer out a possible formal agreement.

“The political understanding with details that we have reached is a solid foundation for the good deal we are seeking,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in Lausanne, Switzerland, the AP reported.

Garrett says the framework doesn’t succeed

U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Warren, says the deal doesn’t achieve what any agreement must — keeping Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon.

“The framework that President Obama laid out … does not meet the most important priority for the United States and its allies during these negotiations — ensuring that Iran never obtains nuclear weapons,” Garrett said in a news release. “Secretary of State Kerry and negotiators from the global community must realize the implications of agreeing to a bad deal with a state sponsor of terrorism like Iran.

“Any deal that allows a nuclear-armed Iran — now or in the future — makes the world a more dangerous place, and is completely unacceptable.

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