Inhofe calls for return of Iran sanctions

thehill.com ^ | July 22, 2014

[Tailgunner Joe]

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) called on Tuesday for the U.S. to reinstate sanctions on Iran immediately and add additional economic penalties.

"We should immediately reinstate the full sanctions — and consider additional sanctions — and I have supported legislation to do just that," Inhofe said at the Christians United for Israel Summit.

His remarks follow the Obama administration's announcement on Friday that international negotiators were extending talks with Iran to end its nuclear program until Nov. 24. An interim agreement that lifted some sanctions on Iran will be extended as well, which has drawn criticism from lawmakers who say Iran is playing for time.

"I am convinced that Iran won't stop its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and a means to deliver it, which our public intelligence reports say will be achieved by 2015," Inhofe said.

"What is Obama doing? He's offering a nuclear agreement with Iran that has undermined years of bipartisan sanctions that were working," he added.

Inhofe, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also criticized the administration for allowing Iran to keep 19,000 centrifuges as part of the interim deal.

"This was all in exchange for a promise by Iran to briefly pause only its nuclear enrichment activities — meanwhile development of other key components of a nuclear weapon continue unabated. Iran is building a bomb and Obama is releasing sanctions," he said.