Why NY Pol Abandoned #Obama on Iran Nuke Deal

Why NY Pol Abandoned #Obama on Iran Nuke Deal

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Rep. Eliot Engel, Co-op City’s representative in the House of Representatives, has joined Sen. Charles Schumer in opposing the Iran nuclear deal that the Obama Administration recently negotiated.

Engel, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House, and Schumer, who seems poised to be named the Minority Leader of the U. S. Senate, are among Jewish representatives in Congress who have announced their strong opposition to the Iran deal.

Schumer was the first Democrat in Congress to announce his opposition to the deal, saying that it puts the U. S. and its allies in jeopardy because the safeguards it requires are inadequate.

In return for having Iran agree to some inspections of its nuclear facilities, the U. S. and its allies have agreed to lift sanctions against Iran.

The lifting of the sanctions will allow Iran to get access to up to $100 billion in frozen assets and sell oil to the West, making it possible for the Islamic state to be more successful in exporting terrorism, Engel and Schumer have argued. 

The White House, with President Obama leading the way, has insisted that the Iran deal is an alternative to constants wars and hostilities between the U.S. and its allies and the Islamic state.

Schumer, for his part, has stated that the agreement with Iran will make it easier for the Islamic state to “pursue its nefarious goals.”

CNN reported that Engel came out in opposition to the Iran deal “despite a one-on-one meeting with Obama.”

Engel told USA Today that his decision to oppose the Iran deal was a very difficult one “because this is a Democratic administration and a President I’ve worked with.”

Co-op City’s Congressman, who represents a local constituency that is counted among Obama’s most reliable strongholds, stressed, “The main part (about the agreement) that I find most objectionable is you look at Iran’s behavior these past years when they had no money and they were still a leading sponsor of international terrorism.”

Engel, pointing to Iran’s support of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime in Syria, and the rebels in Yemen, asked, “Can you imagine how much more destructive that they can be if they are awash in cash?”

#EliotEngel #Iran #NukeDeal #Obama