Senate Republican Leader Criticizes Obama's Remarks on Iran Deal

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader in the U.S. Senate, criticized Barack Obama's statements regarding the nuclear deal with Iran. He urged the U.S. president to change his approach towards opponents of the agreement. According to Reuters, Senator McConnell stated that the president made a 'big mistake' in his speech on Wednesday, saying, 'It's not a choice between war or an agreement. Rather, it's a choice between this agreement or a better agreement.' Barack Obama warned in his speech at American University in Washington on Wednesday that if Congress rejects the deal with Iran, America's credibility as a leader in diplomacy worldwide will be lost. The president stated that rejecting the nuclear deal in Congress would leave only one option: war, adding, 'Let's not play with words; the only options we ultimately face are a choice between diplomacy or some form of war.' According to the Associated Press, Mitch McConnell said that Barack Obama has so far 'treated the issue (of the Iran nuclear deal) like a political campaign.' He added, 'Demonizing the opponents (of this agreement) and angering the Democrats, from my perspective, is a different issue.' The Republican majority leader in the Senate emphasized that the U.S. president should have approached the Iran nuclear deal as a serious discussion about national security, not like a political campaign. Congress members must vote positively or negatively on the Iran nuclear deal with six world powers by September 17 of this year or decide not to vote. Republicans, who hold the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, oppose this agreement. According to the Associated Press, it is almost certain that Congress will reject the deal with Iran, and Barack Obama will veto the congressional representatives' vote. The report adds that the current issue is whether Barack Obama will have enough support from Democratic representatives in the Senate to prevent the final rejection of the nuclear deal in Congress. Meanwhile, in recent weeks, Republicans have seized every opportunity to criticize the nuclear deal with Iran. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, stated that this agreement makes the Obama administration the main financial supporter of extremist Islamist terrorists. According to the Associated Press, Mike Huckabee, another Republican presidential candidate, also stated that Barack Obama is lining up Jews and sending them 'towards the furnace,' referring to the Holocaust and the massacre of Jews during World War II. In this context, the White House stated: 'We do not need Congress to approve the agreement; we just need it not to be rejected.' The President of Israel stated that Netanyahu's opposition to the Iran deal has isolated us. 'Resumption of activities at the Parchin site'; Iran rejected it. Obama: 'With the rejection of the Iran deal in Congress, the only remaining option will be war.'