Conservatives in the U.S. Senate are attempting to block a White House program to buy spent heavy water from Iran, saying the purchases would encourage the Iranians to expand their nuclear program.Under the deal President Obama reached last year with Tehran, the U.S. Department of Energy would buy 32 metric tons of heavy water, which is a crucial component in producing nuclear energy — and nuclear weapons.U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced an amendment to the year’s first appropriations bill that would have stopped the sales, but Democrats stymied the effort last week. A White House spokesman ridiculed Cotton, saying the senator “couldn’t differentiate heavy water from sparkling water.”Moving beyond childish jabs, conservatives see problems with the policy and the troubling precedent it sets.“To purchase excess—when Iran is still producing it—is simply to incentivize Iran’s nuclear industry,” said Michael Rubin, a Middle East expert at the American Enterprise Institute. “At this point, party loyalty is trumping national security. This is a no-brainer; it should not be a political football. Rather, the Democrats should be furious that Obama puts them in this position and takes their support for granted.”Rubin said that the only alternative to get the Obama administration to take…
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