Reuters: Global Powers Negotiate Security Council Resolution on Iran

According to Reuters, global powers engaged in dialogue with Iran have begun negotiations centered on issuing a resolution in the Security Council to lift sanctions against Tehran, contingent upon reaching a nuclear agreement. The news agency states that such an action could complicate Congressional efforts in the United States to disrupt the agreement. This report comes amid reactions to a letter from 47 Republican senators to Iranian leaders, with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier joining the critics on March 11, describing the action as unhelpful. Germany is one of the countries known as the P5+1 group, which includes the five permanent members of the Security Council: China, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, along with Germany itself. Previously, 47 Republican senators had warned Iranian leaders in an open letter that any nuclear agreement with the Washington government, without Congressional approval, would not last beyond Barack Obama's presidency. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, who has direct meetings and discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, is another critic of the senators' letter. He stated a day before his German counterpart at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting that Congress would not have the authority to alter any potential agreement between the U.S. government and Iran. On the other hand, the Republican senators who signed the letter and some other prominent figures in the party have defended it. Some opponents of the current negotiations argue that a potential agreement could still leave the door open for Iran to access nuclear weapons. Among the eight Security Council resolutions, four have imposed sanctions against Iran; in addition to nuclear sanctions, Iran faces international sanctions regarding military arms purchases. Reuters quotes Western officials saying they are discussing items that include a draft resolution in the United Nations Security Council, which would initiate the lifting of UN sanctions. An unnamed official stated, 'If a nuclear agreement is reached, and that is a big 'if,' we want to immediately address the issue of UN sanctions.' The same news agency also quoted a senior U.S. official stating that such discussions are ongoing. Officials have said that such a potential resolution - if negotiations with Iran conclude successfully - could protect any nuclear agreement from potential Congressional action. However, it remains unclear when and how quickly these sanctions would be lifted; among the questions still raised is whether such a resolution could be possible if the parties reach a political agreement by the end of March or if it would be postponed until a comprehensive potential agreement is reached by the end of June. Iran and officials from the P5+1 countries will continue their discussions next week in Lausanne, Switzerland.