367 Congress Members: Restrictions on Iran's Nuclear Program Must Continue for Decades

367 members of the U.S. Congress wrote a letter to Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stating that any nuclear agreement with Iran and the potential lifting of sanctions must be approved by Congress. The letter, published on the third of Farvardin (March 23) on the U.S. Congress website, states: "Any potential lifting of sanctions enacted by Congress requires authorization and re-approval from Congress." The letter addressed to the U.S. President says: "Congress must be convinced that Iran's path to obtaining a nuclear bomb is blocked, and only then will it allow for the permanent lifting of sanctions." The letter continues: "Iran's history of concealment makes trust in them very difficult. As a U.S. State Department negotiator said: deception is part of Iran's hereditary behavior - DNA." The signatories of this letter told the U.S. President: "Given decades of deception by Iran, any negotiations must be accompanied by maximum transparency from Iran. Any inspections and verification regime must allow for unannounced access to potential suspicious sites, and verifiable restrictions on Iran's nuclear program must continue for decades." The letter also states: "Although the current negotiations are focused on the nuclear issue, we believe it is important to consider Iran's disruptive role in the region. Iran supports Assad in Syria, backs sectarian actors in Iraq, and supports Hezbollah (Lebanon) while threatening Israel. Additionally, last month, an Iran-backed militia overthrew the ruling government in Yemen. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has also called for the expansion of the ballistic missile program, which presents another angle of potential danger from Iran. Iran's record of creating unrest in the region - aside from the concerning repression within the country - indicates the risk of negotiating with a partner that should not be trusted." The letter from U.S. Congress members comes as the deadline for the 1+5 group negotiations with Iran is approaching. Both sides have stated that there have been "advancements," but difficult decisions still need to be made. Previously, 47 Republican senators had stated in a letter to Iranian leaders that any agreement with the U.S. government without Congressional approval would lack legitimacy, and the next U.S. President would have the power to discard it. The letter from Congress members was signed by representatives such as Ed Royce, a Republican from California, and Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York. An image of part of the letter sent to Barack Obama was included. Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had previously stated that he might put forth a proposal requiring the government to submit any potential agreement with Iran for Congressional approval. Barack Obama had previously stated that if a proposal were passed in Congress during the current negotiations with Iran, he would veto it. The 1+5 negotiations with Iran are ongoing, while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stated in his speech on the first of Farvardin following Barack Obama's Nowruz message that the lifting of sanctions must be "part of the nuclear negotiations" with the 5+1 countries and should be without any delay from the agreement, not a result of it. He added: "The Americans keep repeating that we will make a deal with Iran and then see if they comply, and then we will lift the sanctions; we do not accept this... This is an American deception." John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, in response to the letter sent by Republican senators to Iran, stated: "The message (of this letter) is that if you want any trust in your relations with the U.S., you must negotiate with 535 members of Congress. Sending such a message is both incorrect and a very inappropriate suggestion." In this context, Kerry stated: "We have made real progress; it is time for fundamental decisions." Khamenei stated: "The lifting of sanctions without delay must be part of the nuclear agreement." The unified position of Western powers is that it is time for difficult decisions from Iran. The CIA Director stated: "Iran knows that a nuclear weapons program will have severe consequences." Araqchi stated: "Any agreement must be balanced and equitable."