Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., wants to make sure Iran will not be able to re-establish the nuclear deal President Donald Trump pulled out of, The Hill reports.
"They think he's going to be defeated," Sen. Inhofe told reporters in his office Tuesday. "The Iranians are waiting to re-establish the deal that [former Secretary of State] John Kerry made, and they're all assuming that he'll be out of office."
To make the withdrawal of the deal permanent, Inhofe, the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, said Trump's actions will be codified in this year's National Defense Authorization Act.
Trump pulled out of the landmark pact last May, calling the agreement's structure "decaying and rotten," and imposed all sanctions that had previously been lifted.
The deal was signed in 2015 during President Barack Obama's administration. Iran agreed to halt its pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for moves by the U.S., several other countries, and the United Nations to roll back sanctions that had crippled its economy.
Democrats criticized Trump's announcement, warning of another nuclear crisis and greater tensions in the Middle East, while most Republicans applauded his decision, including Inhofe. Any language regarding Iran included in the defense bill will likely be an issue in the Democratic-controlled House.
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