Kerry: Intense Debate in Iran Over Choosing Between Missiles and Negotiation

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry defended the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers on Tuesday, April 6, before a Senate meeting to discuss easing financial restrictions against Tehran. Kerry acknowledged the strong criticisms of this agreement, which was designed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, stating in an interview with MSNBC that there is even intense debate in Iran over whether the country should choose missiles over negotiation. According to the Associated Press, he remarked, "What you see is a tension" between moderates and hardliners regarding Iran's future path. Kerry's comments appear to reference remarks made by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, who on April 1 defended Iran's missile program and accused critics of this program domestically of "treason" or "ignorance." Following these statements, hardliners and their affiliated platforms launched fierce attacks against Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, who a week prior had tweeted, "The world of tomorrow is a world of discourse, not missiles." Rafsanjani responded by saying that "his remarks were from seven years ago." Kerry told MSNBC, "Iran needs to make some clear decisions about the role it intends to play in the region and the world." He emphasized that "if they (the Iranians) want to deceive, we will know about it." His remarks came just hours before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Q&A session regarding the implementation of the Vienna agreement. Thomas Shannon, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, is set to testify at this session. This meeting coincides with reports suggesting that the Obama administration may ease the ban on using the dollar in trade with Iran. Opposing lawmakers in Congress, which is predominantly Republican, believe that Iran is benefiting more from the Vienna agreement than it deserves. While no decision has yet been made by the Obama administration on this matter, the Associated Press reports that some U.S. officials have indicated that the Treasury Department is preparing a general license allowing foreign financial institutions to use the dollar in currency transactions to support legitimate trade with Iran. Currently, Iran cannot use the dollar for its trade transactions. The release of these reports comes as Mark Toner, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Monday that the Obama administration does not intend to allow Iran access to the U.S. financial system. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was agreed upon on July 14 last year, under which Tehran agreed to suspend many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the release of billions of dollars of its assets that had been blocked in foreign banks due to international sanctions. However, despite three months having passed since the JCPOA's implementation, Iran claims it has not been able to benefit from its advantages. The Associated Press suggests that committee members may pressure Mr. Shannon to impose stricter sanctions against Iran, as Tehran has violated the Security Council resolution by conducting missile tests. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that conducting these tests does not contradict the JCPOA or Security Council Resolution 2231.