Ed Royce's Proposal to Reject Iran Nuclear Agreement in Congress

Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, presented a proposal on Tuesday, August 4, to reject the nuclear agreement between six world powers and Iran. At the same time, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate predicted that this agreement would be rejected in Congress. Royce stated, "I had hoped that the Obama administration's negotiations would yield a verifiable, enforceable, and accountable agreement. While a lot of effort was put into these discussions, the outcome fell short of this standard." According to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the agreement would lead to the "permanent lifting of sanctions on Iran, while only imposing temporary restrictions on Tehran's nuclear program." Royce emphasized, "If this agreement is implemented, Iran will gain windfall profits, strengthen its international standing, and pave the way for acquiring nuclear weapons. The stronger Iran becomes, the weaker we will be in response." He added, "I was reluctant to present this proposal, but the implications of this agreement for global security are vast. This agreement will make the world less secure, less certain, and more unstable." Under the law reviewing the Iran nuclear agreement, which President Barack Obama signed in May, Congress has until September 17 to reject or approve the agreement. The Iran nuclear agreement was reached on July 14 this year in Vienna, under which Tehran agreed to suspend much of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of UN, U.S., and EU sanctions. However, U.S. Republicans, who hold the majority in Congress, argue that this agreement cannot prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and cannot guarantee Israel's security, while also releasing billions of dollars of Iran's frozen assets that could be used to fund "terrorist groups" such as Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Meanwhile, the Obama administration insists that the agreement blocks all pathways for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and reduces its threat to its regional neighbors. According to Reuters, Royce's proposal means that American lawmakers are trying to put a resolution to reject the agreement to a vote, rather than to approve it. Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, also stated on Tuesday that the Senate will likely vote on the resolution to reject the agreement. Reuters adds that this opposition comes at a time when Barack Obama's diplomatic initiative has garnered significant support from Democrats in Congress. This support indicates that if Congress rejects the Iran agreement, Republicans will likely not be able to gather enough votes to override the President's veto. Obama has warned that he will veto any congressional opposition to this agreement. Democratic senators including Tom Kaine, who participated in drafting the proposal regarding Congress's right to review the Iran nuclear agreement, Barbara Boxer, a senior Jewish member of the Senate, and Bill Nelson, have all stated their support for the agreement. Nelson stated, "The threat from Iran to Israel and our allies will manifest itself to them and us when this country acquires nuclear weapons." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly opposed to the Iran nuclear agreement, stating that a nuclear Iran threatens the existence of his country.