Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Wednesday hailed the nuclear deal with Iran as “historic” and said critics should take the time to study the deal before slamming the accord.
“I think it’s very very important to study it and for people to just flat out say it doesn’t work or they’re going to derail it in our congress, I hope people don’t mean it,” Albright, who served as secretary of state in President Bill Clinton’s administration, said on CNN’s “New Day.”
The deal, she said, is “one of the more complicated foreign policy issues that I’ve ever seen.”
As Republicans attack, Obama defends Iran deal
Albright dismissed criticisms of the deal and said she believes the verification provisions of the deal and the mechanisms to snapback economic sanctions and Iran are tough enough to keep Iran from a nuclear weapon.
Israeli officials across the political spectrum roundly slammed the deal on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the deal a “historic mistake” that would endanger the world.
Albright said the Israeli government was “wrong” in the way it expressed its disapproval and insisted the U.S. remains “very supportive” of the Jewish nation and will continue to bolster Israel’s security.
Landmark deal reached on Iran nuclear program
And she insisted the U.S. had “some of the toughest negotiators ever,” lauding Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s work throughout the nearly two-year ordeal.
“I think if they could’ve gotten a better deal, they would’ve gotten a better deal,” she said.
