Colorado Republicans were quick to condemn the Obama administration’s announcement Tuesday of a nuclear agreement between six countries and Iran, urging Congress to reject the deal even as Democrats called it as a step in the right direction.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a blistering statement accusing the White House of entering into a “bad deal” to accommodate “a murderous regime led by a President who gladly marches at the front of parades shouting ‘Death to America!’ and ‘Death to Israel!’”

“The Administration has attempted to present Americans with a false choice: either you accept their bad deal with the murderous Iranian regime or else you’re in favor of another war in the Middle East. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Gardner said.

“Initial reports about the content of the deal, which indicate the U.S. has agreed to lift the arms embargo against Iran even though the nation remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, are highly disturbing. The more details we learn about the deal, the worse it seems,” Gardner said.

At the other end of the spectrum was Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who said he was “encouraged by the deal reached today with Iran and our international partners.”

“I will carefully read and review the terms of the agreement over the next 60 days, but I believe this agreement aligns with the initial framework reached several months ago,” Perlmutter said.

“We must make sure Iran holds up its end of the bargain at every step of the way through strict verification requirements, but this is a positive step toward reducing the nuclear threat that exists in the Middle East and gives peaceful diplomacy a chance to succeed,” said Perlmutter.

Congress has 60 days to review the deal, but President Obama said Tuesday he would veto any effort to kill the hard-won agreement, which he has pursued for 20 months and may go down in history as his crowning diplomatic achievement.

The deal places restrictions on Iran’s nuclear capability with limits on its ability to produce material and inspections aimed at preventing the regime from building a nuclear weapon for at least 10 years.

In exchange, the international community agrees to lift sanctions on Iran worth billions of dollars in relief.

“This deal is not built on trust — it’s built on verification,” said the president in a statement. “Under this deal, we will, for the first time, be in a position to verify that Iran is meeting all of these commitments.”

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said he would “carefully scrutinize the terms of this agreement,” adding that “playing politics right now is the last thing we need.”

“The stakes are high, and the details of this deal matter,” Bennet said. “A good deal could bring greater stability to the Middle East, more security throughout the world, and help avoid escalation in the region.”

Republican Rep. Scott Tipton said he “will not support anything that compromises the safety and security of the United States and our allies.”

As part of the bargain, Iran agrees to cooperate more fully with international inspections, but Republicans weren’t buying it.

“Throughout negotiations, Iran has acted in bad faith by failing to provide complete information on its nuclear program activities, refusing to allow inspectors full access, and most disturbingly, continuing to sponsor terrorist groups that have shed the blood of U.S. and allied troops and citizens,” Tipton said.

“If Iran has ignored much of the interim deal, it is reckless to assume it will fully adhere to any ‘permanent’ agreement — especially an agreement that rewards bad behavior with eased sanctions, fails to meet the standard of ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to sites for inspectors, and provides a break-out window wide enough for Iran to abandon the agreement and obtain weapons capabilities,” he said.

Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn issued a press release under the headline, “The Iran nuclear deal is worse than I imagined,” based on early reports.

“It seems this administration has already capitulated on even the minimal goals that were stated at Lausanne,” Lamborn said. “The concessions are staggering. We will not have the ‘anytime-anywhere’ inspection regime, Iran will not dismantle its centrifuges but instead would be assisted by the major powers in their research and development.”

Instead of helping avert a war in the Middle East, he said, “it is a bad deal that in all likelihood will pave the way to war, and it is our task to prevent that from happening.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the agreement Tuesday as a “historic mistake” that would lead to a “terrorist nuclear superpower.”

JEWISHcolorado and the Jewish Community Relations Council said they recognized “the hard work that President Obama, Secretary Kerry and America’s diplomats have put into crafting this agreement.”

“At the same time, we have cause to be wary,” said the joint statement, citing Iran’s funding of terrorism and threats against Israel. “It is not a country that has earned our trust.”

Two weeks ago, Colorado-based Americans Against Terrorism held a “No Nukes for Iran” rally at the State Capitol featuring Republican Rep. Mike Coffman, who called for the Obama administration to insist that Iran end its nuclear program altogether.

A Marine veteran, Coffman reiterated those sentiments Tuesday, saying, “The economic sanctions should be strengthened and only relaxed when Iran stops engaging in state-sponsored terrorism.”

“From my experience in the region, watching Iran fund terrorist attacks against my fellow Marines, I have learned that Iran cannot be trusted,” Coffman said. “I will stand with our ally Israel in opposing this agreement when it comes before Congress.”

Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette said in a post on Twitter that, “As a longtime supporter of strong diplomacy to keep us safe I will carefully review #Irandeal to ensure our security interests are protected.”

Republican Rep. Ken Buck said in a Facebook post that the nuclear deal has “ensured a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.”

“Whether you live in Jerusalem or Julesburg, giving $100+ billion to a dictator means that we will be funding the killing Americans and Israelis, and promoting global terrorism and domestic oppression,” Buck said.

— valrichardson17@gmail.com