McCain blasts Iranian nuclear negotiations

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday bashed the Obama administration, calling its nuclear negotiations with Iran a “delusion” and hitting it for overreacting to the upcoming speech by the Israeli prime minister.

{mosads}”The delusion is that they make this nuclear deal with Iran, there’s a brand new relationship with Iran, Iran and we are partners for peace throughout the Middle East,” McCain said on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.” “It is crazy.”

McCain warned that Middle Eastern leaders have told him that the countries would “go nuclear” if the negotiations don’t prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. He cited reports that say the talks are coalescing around an agreement to delay Iran’s nuclear program instead of permanently restricting it.

He also praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the leader’s upcoming speech to Congress, which has been a source of controversy on Capitol Hill. Democrats and the White House have panned Netanyahu and Republicans for negotiating the appearance without consulting the administration. But Republicans argue they have a right to hear from America’s strongest ally in the Middle East.

“Why should someone be so offended?” McCain asked.

“This is because Bibi will make a compelling argument against the outlines of this agreement and that’s why they are reacting in such a hysterical fashion,” he added, using a nickname for Netanyahu.

McCain later called the controversy “symptomatic of the terrible relationship” between Republicans and the White House during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“When the president says, ‘I have a pen, I have a phone, I’m speaking for the two-thirds that didn’t vote,’ I mean, in your face,” he said.

“I have never seen relations between the president and Congress worse than they are today, and I’m not saying that Republicans did anything right.”