50 House Democrats and Republicans demand Biden release text of any Iran nuclear deal: Lawmakers raise alarm that U.S. will weaken sanctions on terrorist funding as talks accelerate
- 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans signed a letter to Joe Biden on Thursday
- They asked him to share the text of a proposed new nuclear deal with Iran
- After 16 months of torturous talks, hopes are high that agreement is near
- But the 50 lawmakers fear it could let Russia in on Iran’s nuclear program
- And they say it could weaken sanctions on Tehran’s terrorist activities
- ‘We need to address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, stand strong against terrorists, and protect American values and allies,’ said Rep. Josh Gottheimer
A bipartisan group of members of Congress raised fears on Thursday that a new nuclear deal with Iran will weaken sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and open the door to Russia playing a role in the country’s atomic program.
In a letter to the White House, 50 Republicans and Democrats demanded that President Joe Biden provide Congress with the draft text of any new agreement.
After months of talks, negotiations appear to have entered the final stages.
The letter was organised by Democrat Josh Gottheimer and Republican Andrew Garbarino, and flags reports that the deal will rule out secondary sanctions on non-Americans doing business with the IGRC.
‘The IRGC has directly, or through its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Ansar Allah (Houthis), Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and scores of Shiite militias in Iraq, killed hundreds of Americans, and attacked our bases and our allies in the region, say the 50 lawmakers – 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans.
‘Strengthened with an estimated one trillion dollars in sanctions relief over a decade, Iran and the IRGC would be an enormous danger to Americans at home and abroad, and to our allies.’
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is sounding the alarm over a new Iran nuclear deal and wants President Joe Biden to share the text of an agreement
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat, organized the letter with Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino. Some 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans joined together to sign it
President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, amid concerns about Iran’s development of long-range missiles and its support for terrorist groups
However, they welcome what appears to be Biden’s refusal to bow to Iranian pressure to remove the IRGC from the terrorist list.
‘Additionally, we strongly urge your administration not to permit Russia to be the recipient of Iran’s enriched uranium nor to have the right to conduct nuclear work with the Islamic Republic, including a $10 billion contract to expand Iran’s nuclear infrastructure,’ they write.
‘We should not let war criminal Vladimir Putin be the guarantor of the deal or the keeper of massive amounts of Iran’s enriched uranium.’
Their letter comes as talks are reportedly reaching a conclusion.
‘I hope that in the next few days the JCPOA will be concluded,’ said French President Emmanuel Macron, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as he addressed ambassadors on Thursday.
It comes after a flurry of diplomatic activity following 16 months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington. European officials were tasked with carrying messages between the two negotiating teams at a Vienna hotel.
And on August 8, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that a final deal had been drafted.
Republicans voiced their fears on Thursday about what a new nuclear deal could mean
President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, accusing Iran of funding terror groups and ignoring the spirit of the agreement by developing ballistic missiles.
Since then Iran has enriched uranium closer and closer to the purity and quantity needed to fuel a nuclear weapon.
In March, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors reported that its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity had grown by more than 80 percent in three months.
Talks to return to a deal, lifting sanctions on Iran in return for limits on Tehran’s nuclear research, have repeatedly stalled.
And Republicans remain largely opposed to a new agreement.
But they are joined by hawkish Democrats.
‘We must not reduce terrorism-related sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or allow Russia to have a role in Iran’s nuclear capabilities,’ said Gottheimer.
‘We need to address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, stand strong against terrorists, and protect American values and allies.’
Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in a phone call on Wednesday the United States will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, according to the White House.
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