McCain: nuclear agreement could turn Iran into a strong military state

The head of the Senate Committee on the Armed Forces, Republican John McCain, stated at a hearing on the issue of the nuclear deal with Iran that the agreement on the Iranian atom could turn Iran into the strongest military state in the Middle East, which threatens US interests.

"Iran will not only have billions of dollars to freely purchase on the world arms market, but it surely will find a lot of countries that want to sell these weapons. In this sense, the agreement not only paves the way for a strengthening of Iran's nuclear capabilities, but allows it to become a major military state in the Middle East," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

He also noted that in the long term the situation poses "a direct threat to the US armed forces." "The unconditional guarantee of the fact that Iran will not have nuclear weapons is not only the 100-page document (the agreement), but an opportunity for the US military to do what is necessary if the agreement doesn't work out," McCain said.

"Rather than develop our ability to deter Iran, they strengthen its ability to deter us," the senator concluded.