Speaker of the House Paul Ryan criticized President Barack Obama's deal with Iran, in an
Independent Journal Review post, in which he said, "Everything the administration told us about the deal is starting to unravel."
Ryan, a Republican congressman who represents Wisconsin, pointed out that the U.S. appears to be reconsidering part of the deal that said Iran wouldn't get access to the U.S. financial system, noting a purchase the U.S. made of heavy water from Tehran.
He said Iran continues to sponsor terror attacks, test missiles with "Death to Israel" written on them, and abuse its citizens' human rights and that regardless of the Obama administration's statements and "stagecraft" to the contrary, "this was a bad deal."
International rules against conventional weapons and ballistic missiles will expire in five to eight years, and within 10 to 15 years, Iran's limitations on plutonium and uranium will expire, leaving "nothing more than a promise" that Iran won't build nuclear bombs, Ryan said.
He aims to prevent the administration from providing more concessions to Iran.
The House speaker previewed the release of an "overarching vision" for national security by Republicans in the House of Representatives, saying, "Our goal is to restore a more confident America."
The Iran deal has sparked contention since its inception, including New York Rep. Peter King calling it a "hoax on the American people," according to
The New York Post.
Ryan had criticized the Iran deal before, saying in
The Washington Post that making a deal benefited Iran and would provide that country with "an unprecedented economic windfall."
White House aide Ben Rhodes defended the deal in an article on
Medium in which Rhodes said that international monitors have confirmed that Iran is living up to their end of the deal.