Republican Senator Rob Portmansays he supports President Trump’s decision to back out of the Iran nuclear deal.
After the announcement Tuesday, 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.
“And 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," Portman said.
By backing out of the agreement, President Trump says economic sanctions against the country will be re-imposed, but Portman says that will happen gradually, which may push Iran to negotiate a new agreement.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said the president’s decision only makes it harder to hold Iran accountable and gives the country an excuse to restart its nuclear program.