Far-left Rep. Alan Grayson (D., Fla.) ripped the Iran nuclear deal in an interview with Al Jazeera America on Thursday morning, saying all it does is "mothball" Iran's nuclear ambitions and does "nothing" to bring about peace or address Iran's sponsorship of terrorism.
Despite his sharp rhetoric, Grayson would not say whether he was voting for or against the agreement being fiercely pushed by President Obama.
"I'm still undecided and frankly conflicted," Grayson said. "I don't think that the deal will bring about the peace that we were hoping to see between Iran and its neighbors. It does nothing to address terrorism support by Iran for militant groups around the area, involvement in what amounts to the Shi'i-Sunni civil war that's raging from the Middle East."
Anchor Stephanie Sy protested, saying those aspects were not part of the "parameters of the deal."
"This deal was supposed to constrain Iran's ability to get a nuclear weapon," Sy said. "Do you believe it does that? Are you leaning one or the way the other on that?"
"Well, that's the problem," Grayson said. "I've been saying for years that we needed a broader peace, and in fact, all it does is mothball for a period of time the Iranian nuclear program. It doesn't bring about anything even remotely resembling peace in the region, and it should have. That should have been the goal all along, and I've been saying that now for years."
Grayson added doing nothing would be dangerous as well.
Sens. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) as well as a number of Democrats in the House of Representatives are openly opposing the White House on the measure, which was reached after numerous concessions by the United States and other world powers. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.) became the latest announcing opposition Thursday, telling the New York Daily News that even if Iran complied with the agreement, it would not stop the rogue regime from developing nuclear weapons.
Despite majority opposition in both houses of Congress, the deal is likely to survive given the difficulty in getting adequate votes to override Obama's certain veto.
Obama has called those in opposition to the agreement "crazies" and likened Republican foes of the deal to Iranian hardliners.