Dempsey discusses Iran nuclear deal

While the nuclear agreement with Iran will not stop it from funding organizations that the United States considers to be terrorist groups, it reduces the chances of a near-term military conflict between Iran and the United States, the top U.S. military leader told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the nuclear deal does not prevent the U.S. from striking Iranian facilities if officials decide that Tehran is cheating on the agreement. But if it sticks to the terms of the pact, such a strike — with attendant retaliation — is far less likely, he said.

Dempsey answered a barrage of questions from Republican senators that appeared designed to make him criticize the pact, but he neither praised nor condemned the nuclear agreement.

New York Times