Boehner Critical Of Iran Nuclear Deal, Would Prefer Standoff

Following reports a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program was to be announced Monday, U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner criticized the agreement Sunday, suggesting the U.S. should scrap talks with Iran rather than fall into a bad accord. "No deal is better than a bad deal. And from everything that's leaked from these negotiations, the administration's backed away from almost all of the guidelines that they set up for themselves," Boehner said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

The arrangement between Iran the P5+1 group of world powers -- the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Russia and China -- is intended to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons by reducing the country's number of centrifuges from more than 19,000 to a little more than 6,000 and by slashing Iran's supply of enriched uranium. In exchange for agreeing to the limits, Iran would receive relief from international sanctions that have been crippling its economy.

A framework for the agreement was reached in April, but since then, negotiators have failed to reach a consensus regarding the details. Negotiators have missed two self-imposed deadlines, but Sunday, there were signs indicating a deal was imminent.

Boehner said so much has already been conceded to Iran that if a deal does arrive, it won't be favorable for the U.S. Boehner has been critical of any agreement with Iran for months, and in March, he broke protocol and invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also opposes the deal, to speak directly to Congress.

Without an agreement, "then we'll have a standoff," Boehner said. "But that's a lot better than legitimizing this rogue regime."