Flake: Trump Pulling Out of Iran Deal ‘Does Not Make Sense’ — ‘I’m Very Worried’

Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) weighed in on President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

Flake expressed his disapproval and added that the move did not “make sense.”

Flake said, “I wasn’t a fan of the accord. I thought that the agreement in 2015 should have included some prohibitions and some addressing of Iran’s malign activity in the region and ballistic missiles, but it didn’t. But where we were now, it just does not make sense to relieve Iran now of their obligations under the nuclear part of the deal. They have realized the benefits which were largely front-loaded in terms of the release of frozen assets and sanctions relief, and now we’re relieving them of their obligations if they choose to do so to abide by the nuclear side of the agreement.”

He continued, “We have tariffs imposed and then the president just in a position to give waivers or exemptions, and that seems to be the way we want to play ball now. It’s just far from the kind of rules-based international order that we helped establish with multilateral institutions and organizations as arbiters of disagreement rather than just one country acting out ad hoc on its own. So I don’t know what that’s going to be like, but I think it’s fair to ask a day after, what is plan b? how do we address those other in that need to be addressed and still make sure that they hold to their agreements on the nuclear side. With our unilateral withdrawal, I just don’t see how that’s going to happen. I’m very worried, particularly going forward now with negotiations with North Korea, how does that make the situation better or it more likely that North Korea will enter into agreements with us knowing that at the drop of a hat we could get out of those agreements

He added, “I just don’t know how we are safer with the possibility that Iran can now say to the inspectors, the IAEA that does have eyes and ears on the ground there, you’re out. How are we safer? How are we any further away from nuclear possibilities with Iran in that scenario?”

(h/t Grabien)

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN