Iran deal is not about trust

To the editor:

When speaking with people about the nuclear deal with Iran, I've heard, 'But we can't trust Iran.”

That's why the deal is so important. If this were a warm handshake with a reliable friend, there'd be no need for this agreement. The point of it is to hold Iran accountable for building a nuclear weapon.

Under the agreement, IAEA inspectors will have permanent access to nuclear facilities and any other suspicious locations. The penalty for Iran breaking the deal? The sanctions that have been bringing Iran into economic depression will snap back into place.

Even if we were not interested in the possibility of diplomacy bringing resolution to the deepening threat of war, we might back up the camera for the big picture: at its core, this deal invites Iran into relationship with the world in a new and meaningful way. Kind of like demanding that a grade-school bully clean up their act and be part of the community.

The multilateral agreement has been endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. As Congress votes for the deal to move forward, I suggest they are bringing the United States into relationship with the world in a new and meaningful way.

I hope Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Rod Blum will vote to move the deal forward.

Richard Bruxvoort Colligan

Strawberry Point