Jerusalem, 17 February, 2022 (TPS) — Some 200 Republican Members of Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden stating that any renewed nuclear deal he signs with Iran must be submitted to Congress’ approval, and without Congress’ approval, the deal will “meet the same fate” as former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal.
“We will view any agreement reached in Vienna which is not submitted to the US Senate for ratification as a treaty — including any and all secret agreements made with Iran directly or on the sidelines of official talks — as non-binding,” the lawmakers wrote to Biden.
“If you forge an agreement with the Supreme Leader of Iran without formal Congressional approval, it will be temporary and non-binding and will meet the same fate as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the letter reads.
“We will demand that any such agreement be submitted to Congress pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, and we will use the law’s 30-day review period to warn our colleagues, the American public and the private sector about any dangers and flaws of such an agreement,” they warned.
The group, led by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) led the effort, vowed to oppose any agreement that lifts US sanctions on Iran unless the Iranian regime has first fully dismantles all its enrichment capabilities and that “without first verifying they have fully accounted for all past and present undeclared nuclear activities, fully dismantled their enrichment and reprocessing-related infrastructure and capabilities.”
“We hope to see the day where all U.S. sanctions on Iran can be lifted, when the U.S. and Iran can enjoy normalized relations, and when the people of Iran have a government that respects human dignity. But that day will not come if you provide sanctions relief that will fuel the regime’s corruption and incompetence at the expense of the Iranian people. We urge you to change course, learn from the first JCPOA’s failures, and work with Congress to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime,” the letter concludes.
33 Republican senators warned in a letter this month that implementation of a nuclear deal would be “severely if not terminally hampered” if Biden did not submit it to a Senate vote.
The latest reports indicate that the US and the other powers negotiating with Tehran in Vienna are close to reviving the nuclear deal with Iran.
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani negotiator wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday that “After weeks of intensive talks, we are closer than ever to an agreement; nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, though. Our negotiating partners need to be realistic, avoid intransigence, and heed lessons of past four years. Time for their serious decisions.”
Israel is closely monitoring the negotiations in Austria and fears that the Western powers will reengage Iran in a deal that enables it to eventually develop a nuclear bomb while removing sanctions on the country and thawing Tehran’s assets, enabling it to boost its global terror network.
Joshua Zarka, Head of Strategic Affairs, at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was in Vienna this week to promote Israel’s views on the pending deal.