The Obama administration ignored advice from Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey regarding details of the nuclear deal with Iran.
That's according to Dempsey, who appeared before a congressional committee on Wednesday, and said his military advice to the administration was that the U.S. should not relieve sanctions on Iran under any circumstances.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey testifies on US policy towards Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 16, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
“Just to be clear, when you came before the committee then you said under no circumstances should we relieve pressure on Iran on those issues," Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) asked the chairman. "So was it your military recommendation that we not agree to lifting of those sanctions?”
“Yes," Dempsey responded. "And I used the phrase 'as long as possible.' And then that was the point at which the negotiation continued. But, yes, that was my military advice.”
The revelation comes just days after President Barack Obama announced an historic deal with the Ayatollah as a result of Secretary of State John Kerry's extended negotiation efforts.
The deal includes the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Iran, but critics have argued the deal deal doesn't do enough to hold the Middle Eastern country accountable so that it does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
If Iran does not adhere to its part of the agreement, the sanctions will "snap back" into place.
(H/T: Wiesel Zippers)
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