Sen. Marco Rubio dismissed President Obama's agreement to limit Iran's drive for a nuclear bomb as failed diplomacy.

The Florida Republican, who is expected to announce his presidential bid on April 13, said the framework of an accord between Tehran and the United States and other world powers isn't strict enough to ensure Iran can't develop nuclear weapons. Rubio essentially said that Obama got played by the Ayatollahs. The senator, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee, has previously said he would be willing to cancel any agreement with Iran that he believes does not accomplish its core objectives.

A key sticking point for Rubio and other Republican presidential contenders is that Obama include Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism and threats to wipe Israel off the map in the talks. These Republicans believe Iran is being unnecessarily rewarded for bad behavior. Following is Rubio's full statement:



I look forward to hearing from administration officials what specific terms Iran has agreed to as part of what was supposed to be a comprehensive framework agreement, but the initial details appear to be very troubling. Through more than a decade of efforts to resolve international concerns about Iran's nuclear program, this regime has consistently lied about its ambitions and hidden the true nature of its efforts from the world. Among other issues, allowing Iran to retain thousands of centrifuges, keeping facilities such as Fordow open and not limiting Iran's ballistic missile program indicate to me that this deal is a colossal mistake.

This attempt to spin diplomatic failure as a success is just the latest example of this administration's farcical approach to Iran. Under this President's watch, Iran has expanded its influence in the Middle East, sowing instability throughout the region. Iran's support for terrorism has continued unabated without a serious response from the United States. The regime's repression of the Iranian people and its detentions of American citizens continue. And now Tehran is gaining international acceptance of its nuclear ambitions and will receive significant sanctions relief without making serious concessions.

I intend to work with my colleagues to continue to ensure that any final agreement, if reached, is reviewed by Congress and that additional sanctions continue to be imposed on Iran until it completely gives up its nuclear ambitions and the regime changes its destructive behavior.

Our message to Iran should be clear: until the regime chooses a different path, the United States will continue to isolate Iran and impose pressure. Today's announcement takes us in the opposite direction, and I fear it will have devastating consequences for nuclear non-proliferation, the security of our allies and partners, and for U.S. interests in the region.