Graham on Iran: No deal with a terrorist state

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday laid out his “foundational principles” for any final deal on Iran’s nuclear program, including tying the nation’s backing of terrorism to the bargain.

“I have long warned about the dangers posed by the Iranian nuclear program and why any deal should dismantle the Iranians’ ability to ever produce a nuclear weapon,” Graham, who is considering a 2016 presidential bid, said in a statement. “Let’s be clear, when it comes to Iranian nuclear ambitions, we cannot allow confusion to exist.”

{mosads}Graham said that if restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program are going to be lifted, President Obama must be able to certify that Iran no longer qualifies as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The administration has rejected the notion that Iran’s support of terrorism should be included as part of the nuclear deal.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters earlier this month that “we’ve been very clear that this agreement is focused on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and that it is not going to succeed in resolving the long list of concerns that we have with Iran’s behavior.”

Under a final deal, Graham said, Iran should not be allowed to have more enrichment capacity than what is needed to power its commercial reactor, and should close previously secret nuclear sites and disclose any military aspects of its nuclear program.

The South Carolina Republican also added that inspections should be allowed at any time and that sanctions relief should be incremental and dependent on Iran complying with the agreement.

Graham’s requirements stand in contrast with remarks Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made earlier this month in Tehran.

The supreme leader, who has a final say on if Iran accepts a final deal, said all sanctions should be removed the day a final agreement is reached.

Khamenei’s remarks also put him at loggerheads with the Obama administration, which has said that the timing of sanctions relief is one of the areas that needs to be worked through before a deal is finalized.

A senior administration official told reporters after the framework deal was announced earlier this month “the main principle is that we’ll be matching our sanctions with the completion of all of Iran’s major nuclear steps.”

Negotiators have until June 30 to reach a final deal.

Graham added that any final deal must also include a clear process for reimposing sanctions if Iran violates the terms, a ban on Iran’s research and development of advanced centrifuges, and the removal of Iran’s highly enriched uranium from the country.