Kevin McCarthy: A Better Agreement with Iran is Possible

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, predicted during his visit to Israel that there would be enough votes in Congress to reject the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. According to the Jerusalem Post, McCarthy made these remarks on Thursday, August 22, in an interview with Israeli media. He was accompanied by 36 Republican representatives on this trip. He tweeted: "Based on the information we have, I am convinced that this is a bad deal for America and the world." McCarthy also claimed that if the agreement is rejected, there is a possibility of reaching a "better agreement with Iran" by setting better conditions. He stated that by rejecting the agreement, U.S. unilateral sanctions would remain in place, and countries and global companies would avoid dealing with Iran for fear of being sanctioned by the U.S. McCarthy's statements come as the U.S. government asserts that rejecting the agreement in Congress would not only prevent Iran from returning to negotiations but also discourage other countries from renewing sanctions against Iran. McCarthy and a delegation of Republicans recently traveled to Israel, funded by AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his strong opposition to the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 countries during his meetings with this Republican delegation and with several members of the Democratic Party in the days prior. However, McCarthy claimed that Netanyahu did not instruct them to vote against it but merely explained the dangers of the current agreement with Iran. Congress is set to vote on rejecting this agreement on September 17. Prior to McCarthy's statements, John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House, had also expressed "confidence" in rejecting the agreement with Iran in Congress. Zachi Hanegbi, head of the Israeli Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, also stated recently that Congress would reject the agreement with Iran by a large majority. Barack Obama has said that if Congress rejects the agreement, he will use his veto power to prevent the congressional resolution from taking effect and ensure the agreement with Iran is implemented. However, a two-thirds majority of the Senate, 67 out of 100 senators, can override the president's veto. Netanyahu's open opposition to the U.S. regarding Iran has increased tensions in U.S.-Israel relations.