Republican senator compares Iran deal to Nazi appeasement
"Neville Chamberlain got a better deal from Adolf Hitler," Kirk said Thursday, according to Roll Call. "Under today's deal, the United States and its international partners will dismantle the sanctions regime against Iran, while Iran, the world's biggest exporter of terrorism, will be allowed to keep vast capabilities to make nuclear weapons."
Kirk seemed to be comparing the new Iranian deal to the 1938 Munich Agreement where the United Kingdom allowed the Nazi Party government of German dictator Adolph Hitler to expand. Many people believe British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was insufficiently aggressive with Nazi Germany as it initially spread across Europe prior to World War II.
Kirk's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the quote.
Earlier in the day, the US and other world powers announced they struck an agreement with Iran to curb its ability to produce a nuclear weapon. In exchange, the other powers agreed to roll back economic sanctions against Tehran.
A number of other Republicans expressed concerns that President Barack Obama did not extract enough concessions from Iran. In a statement from the White House, Obama praised the framework as the foundation for "a good deal." For his part, Kirk predicted the agreement will lead to a "total meltdown" in US relations with its Middle Eastern allies, according to the Chicago Tribune.
"It looks like they did a total cave from what I saw. A complete lifting of sanctions will return Iran to a position where its economy is actually growing faster than the American economy," Kirk told reporters.