Five Plus One or One Plus One?

Bob Corker, the senator and chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says that nuclear negotiations between Iran and Western countries have effectively turned into bilateral talks between Iran and the United States. According to a report on February 11 by the French news agency, Corker, while exiting a closed-door meeting on Iran's nuclear program, told reporters: "I attended a meeting last weekend during the International Security Conference in Munich and witnessed that the nuclear negotiations have become one plus one talks." The report states that both Corker, a Republican, and Robert Menendez, a Democrat who succeeded Corker in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are concerned that Iran is seeking to buy more time to advance its nuclear program under the guise of these negotiations. Menendez, the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated: "One of my major concerns, which is becoming a reality, is that instead of preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, we are actually laying the groundwork for the proliferation of these weapons." He added that if Iran gains the capability to reach a nuclear bomb within a year, the world ahead of us will be a different one, and its problems will be deeper. CNN reported on February 10 from Jerusalem that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dissatisfied with the Iranian nuclear negotiations and has stated that he has fundamental disagreements with the Obama administration and other governments involved in the negotiations. Netanyahu said: "I am going to America not to confront Obama, but to fulfill my promise and discuss an issue that is crucial to the survival or extinction of Israel." The Israeli Prime Minister mentioned that they have fundamental disagreements with the U.S. government and other members of the 1+5 group regarding the proposal made to Iran, which he believes gives Iran the opportunity to threaten Israel's existence. The majority of U.S. senators believe that if an agreement is not reached in the current negotiations with Iran, the U.S. should impose further sanctions on Iran. Netanyahu is scheduled to address the U.S. House of Representatives two weeks before the elections in Israel to discuss Iran's nuclear program and potential agreements in the negotiations. The U.S. government has announced that according to the protocol of "non-interference in domestic politics," the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State will not meet with Netanyahu during this visit. Some Democratic representatives have threatened to boycott the speech and will not attend. Reports indicate that the invitation for Netanyahu to speak in Congress was made by the Republican House Speaker John Boehner, and the White House and U.S. government were not aware of this invitation.