Marco Rubio: I'd scrap the Iran deal even if our allies object

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 14 April 2015

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says he would undo a nuclear deal with Iran even if it meant spurning European allies who want to give the agreement time to work.

In an interview with NPR, Rubio said he "would not adhere" to the terms of the deal and would simply re-impose sanctions on Iran should he win the presidency. (The framework deal calls for lifting American and international sanctions in exchange for Iran rolling back its nuclear program and agreeing to strict oversight.) When asked if he would do so despite objections from the European allies who helped draft the deal, Rubio said he indeed would.

Yes, it wouldn't be as effective, obviously. We would, ultimately, I think, the Europeans are going to have a test anyway because the Iranians are going to violate the sanctions at some point. … But from the United States' perspective, while we want our allies to join us in this endeavor, and certainly sanctions against Iran would be more effective were they in conjunction with our allies around the world, we have to look out for our own national security concerns. And in my mind, if the president wanted this to be a permanent deal that survived his presidency, he would have brought it to Congress. [NPR]

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.