Letter from 150 US Representatives Supporting Nuclear Negotiations with Iran

Simultaneously with the approval of a plan to review the nuclear agreement in the US Senate, 150 members of the House of Representatives have expressed their support for the nuclear negotiations of the Barack Obama administration and its allies with Iran in a letter. This number of Democratic representatives may indicate that potential opponents of the nuclear agreement will not reach the two-thirds majority needed to prevent a presidential veto. If Congress opposes the final nuclear agreement, the President of the United States can veto it within 12 days, after which Congress has another 10 days to reach a two-thirds majority in each chamber, which would legally nullify the presidential veto. The Washington Post states that it now seems there are enough representatives in the Democratic Party for more than one-third of Congress to support the Obama administration's nuclear agreement and any potential veto against opponents. The letter, organized by Democratic Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Lloyd Doggett, and David Price, strongly supports the US government's nuclear negotiations with Tehran. In a section of the letter seen by Radio Farda, it states, 'This issue goes beyond politics. The risks are high and the alternatives are frightening. We must find every way to reach a diplomatic, verifiable, and enforceable solution to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.' The authors of this letter added, 'If the US abandons the negotiations or creates conditions for their collapse, we will not only fail to peacefully prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-armed, but we will also increase the likelihood of it.' Elsewhere in the letter, it is stated, 'War does not make us safer by itself.' The signatories argue that a potential attack by Israel or the US on Iran's nuclear facilities would set back the nuclear program by two or three years, which is still less than the time predicted in the agreement being negotiated between Iran and the P5+1. Iranian officials have always emphasized that their goal in advancing the nuclear program is peaceful. However, during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, the way things were handled or Iran's lack of cooperation with international organizations and the programs Tehran pursued led to Iran's nuclear file being sent to the UN Security Council. Since then, Tehran has faced international sanctions and unilateral actions from Western countries. With the coming to power of Hassan Rouhani's government, a new round of nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 countries began. These negotiations have opponents, especially in the Republican Party, which holds a majority in Congress. These oppositions ultimately led to the approval of the nuclear agreement review plan in the Senate; a plan that is not necessarily facing opposition from the White House. Of course, the President has the power to veto it. However, the amendments to this plan have faced opposition and criticism.