GOP senator scoffs at idea Iran will abide by deal

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Thursday mocked the Obama administration for trusting that Iran will abide by any agreement on its nuclear arms program.

“The idea that Tehran is on the side of the rule of law is laughable to anyone who is following the situation,” Sasse said during an interview on “America’s Newsroom” on Fox News.

“Iran’s purposes are nefarious in the region, and Americans get that,” he added.

“Surprisingly, Washington, D.C., is so delusional it can talk itself into a situation where it wants to advance a ridiculously short-sighted move toward allowing Iran to become a nuclear-threshold state,” Sasse concluded. “It doesn’t make sense.”

{mosads}Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday said he expects “vigorous” debate next week over a bill that would let Congress review the Iran deal’s details.

Republicans could prevent President Obama from lifting economic sanctions on Iran, provided they can overcome his likely veto.

The Obama administration announced its tentative pact with Iran on April 2. The president hailed it as a historic diplomatic moment between the two countries.

Obama has vowed he will eliminate economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for greater restrictions on its nuclear energy research. Tehran has promised it will allow more frequent atomic inspections and caps on its centrifuge and uranium stockpiles as part of the bargain.

Secretary of State John Kerry spearheaded U.S. efforts to draft a rough accord with Iran in Lausanne, Switzerland, last month. Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia joined America on its side of the bargaining table.

Diplomats will next try polishing the deal’s details for a final version due June 30.