American Legislators' Reaction to Continued Nuclear Negotiations with Iran

Following the continuation of talks between the six world powers and Iran after the March deadline, Republican Senator Mark Kirk stated on Wednesday, "In the past week, the government (of the United States) has given a series of dangerous nuclear concessions to Iran and has received nothing serious in return." Senator Kirk further stated, "By passing the Kirk-Menendez plan, we will exert more pressure on Iran to reach an agreement; without it, we will reach an imbalanced agreement that paves the way for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and initiates a nuclear arms race in the Middle East." Kirk's reference to the Kirk-Menendez plan is the one he presented a few months ago, along with Senator Robert Menendez, to impose further sanctions on Tehran if the ongoing diplomatic talks do not yield results. Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham also reacted to the nuclear negotiations with Iran on Wednesday by issuing a joint statement. They expressed appreciation for efforts to find a diplomatic solution regarding what they termed Iran's nuclear ambitions. However, the two senators stated that Iran attempts to maintain its capacity to acquire nuclear weapons at every stage of the diplomatic process. They expressed little confidence that negotiations would end well without fundamental changes. The two senators noted that regardless of the outcome of the nuclear negotiations, the threat posed by Iran to regional stability and security remains. They claimed that any hope that a nuclear agreement would lead Iran to cease its decades-long pursuit of regional dominance through violence and terrorism is merely an illusion. They also believe that "the Obama administration's inability to recognize and confront this threat has only led to the expansion of Iran's influence." Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who had previously announced his readiness to run for the 2016 U.S. presidential election, stated: "The more the Obama administration continues negotiations with Iran, the more concessions it gives to Tehran." In a press release issued by Cruz's office, it stated: "We have recently learned that Tehran insists on reducing sanctions before allowing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to the possible military dimensions of its nuclear program. We have also learned that Tehran will continue enrichment activities at military sites and intends to keep all of its nuclear stockpiles within its territory instead of being willing to send its enriched uranium reserves abroad." The statement noted, "The commander of the IRGC's Basij has declared that erasing Israel from the map is non-negotiable. Enough is enough. Over time, the Obama administration's nuclear agreement worsens. The expansion of Iran's nuclear program jeopardizes the security of the United States and our allies." Republican Senator Steve Daines stated that the desire for success in nuclear negotiations with Iran should not blind the Obama administration to the reality that only Iran benefits from the current talks. On the other hand, Mitch McConnell's office, the Republican majority leader in the U.S. Senate, announced on Wednesday that the Senate would vote on the proposed plan regarding Iran's nuclear program regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, reacting to the continuation of talks after the Tuesday deadline, issued a statement saying the best solution is to leave the negotiations and return to a position of strength. He added that Congress should immediately act on Iran sanctions. Senator Cotton's statement was issued moments before the deadline for the nuclear negotiations to reach a political agreement. If no framework for an agreement is reached in the negotiations, the Senate will vote on a proposal to increase the economic sanctions imposed against Tehran. Barack Obama has repeatedly warned that passing new sanctions while negotiations are ongoing would lead to the failure of this sensitive diplomatic process, but it is unclear whether he would be willing to sign a Senate resolution if the talks fail. Congress is currently on a two-week spring break, during which pressure on the Obama administration, which is engaged in negotiations, is reduced. The latest round of negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 group, aimed at reaching a political understanding about the essential components of a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear program before the set deadline of April 1, began last week at the Baur au Lac hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland, and these talks have not yet yielded results and are ongoing.