Ohio's Senators are taking opposite sides after Pres. Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would back out of an agreement meant to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
After the announcement, Republican Senator Rob Portman said he supports President Trump’s decision to back out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Portman said he didn’t think the initial deal—negotiated under the Obama administration—went far enough to restrict Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for terrorist organizations.
"My hope is that now we have this opportunity to be able to strength the agreement for our national security and for the region and fix some of these flaws,” he said.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said the president’s decision only makes it harder to hold Iran accountable.
“By walking away from the most intrusive inspections program in history, the President could be giving Iran an excuse to restart nuclear activities that even his own advisers agree have been halted under this agreement," he said in a written statement.
By backing out of the agreement, President Trump said economic sanctions against the country will be re-imposed, but Portman said that will happen gradually, which may push Iran to negotiate a new agreement.
