WASHINGTON (AP) – Hillary Rodham Clinton will argue that the U.S. must be “clear-eyed” about the nuclear deal with Iran in a speech on Wednesday, stressing that President Barack Obama’s landmark agreement must be enforced with “vigor and vigilance” and is not a step toward normalizing relations with America’s longtime enemy.
Speaking at a Washington think tank, Clinton plans to hail the agreement as part of a larger Middle East strategy before offering a five-point plan for countering Iran’s influence in the region.
“This isn’t the start of some broader diplomatic opening,” Clinton will say, according to excerpts of her remarks provided by her campaign. “And we shouldn’t expect that this deal will lead to a broader change in their behavior. That shouldn’t be a premise for proceeding.”
Her remarks come a day after Democrats clinched the crucial votes needed to block passage of a disapproval resolution against the Iran nuclear accord, an outcome that would be a major win for the White House against united Republican opposition.
But much of the responsibility for enacting the agreement will fall on the next administration, making the issue likely to linger in the coming presidential election. The deal would require Iran to dismantle most of its nuclear program for at least a decade in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.