P5+1 talks

Republicans Continue Politicizing Iran Negotiations, Offer No Constructive Alternative March 16, 2015 Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) letter, signed by 46 of his Senate Republican colleagues and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), continued to roil the debate over the Iran nuclear negotiations this weekend. The letter, which was addressed to Iran’s leadership and condescendingly (and inaccurately) described the U.S. system of government, has been condemned as a reckless and juvenile political stunt. It has further politicized the already partisan debate at a critical moment, as P5+1 diplomats resume talks this week with Iranian negotiators in the hopes of reaching a political framework agreement. Sen. Cotton has stated that his goal is to collapse the talks, but even those who have said that they would like to play… Read More ›

Partisan Republican Actions Damaging U.S. National Security March 11, 2015 The letter on the Iran negotiations by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), signed by 46 of his Senate Republican colleagues, is the latest and most blatant example of what is becoming an emerging pattern of Republican partisanship that expressly works to undermine U.S. foreign policy and national security. More than just an embarrassing political stunt, Sen. Cotton’s unprecedented letter will damage U.S. international credibility and weaken the United States’ ability to conclude a deal that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This willingness to put short-term political goals ahead of U.S. interests has been on display with other Republican initiatives in recent weeks, particularly Speaker of the House John Boehner’s (R-OH) efforts to circumvent… Read More ›

Sen. Cotton’s Reckless Iran Letter: Wrong on Facts, Disingenuous in Intent March 9, 2015 While U.S. negotiators and their P5+1 colleagues prepare to enter a new round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program in Switzerland next weekend, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) released today the text of an open letter to the Iranian government signed by himself and 46 Republican senators. The pedantic letter begins by noting that Iran’s leadership “may not fully understand our constitutional system” before a discussion of treaty ratification and term limits. “[W]e will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke… Read More ›

Conservatives Rush to Derail Iran Talks After Netanyahu’s Misleading Speech March 4, 2015 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech laid out Israel’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program – a concern shared by Congress and the Obama Administration. But while it succeeded in cynically pandering to his home constituency – after the speech, members of Congress called it a “campaign pep rally” and “straight out of the Dick Cheney playbook” – it failed to present a feasible alternative to the Administration’s diplomatic initiative. Instead, the Prime Minister made clear that he misunderstands what sanctions and negotiations can achieve, and what the consequences of these talks could be. Now, Congress is fast-tracking a bill that could scuttle the talks. As this increasingly partisan legislation is rushed to… Read More ›

Why Netanyahu Is Still Wrong on Iran March 3, 2015 This morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give a contentious address before Congress. Due to the politicization of the speech – Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) did not consult the Obama Administration in inviting Netanyahu, and invited the Prime Minister in the middle of an Israeli election campaign – a quarter of congressional Democrats have announced they will not be attending. But members of Congress don’t need to attend Netanyahu’s speech to know the message he’ll deliver – the Prime Minister has made clear his opposition to any agreement with Iran which would allow it to maintain an enrichment capability. This belief that the international community could negotiate a deal in which Iran would give… Read More ›

Iran Showdown Bibi’s Address to Congress Hosted by NSN and Rethink Media March 2, 2015 at 3:00 pm EST Controversy continues to swirl around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s joint address before Congress. Accepting Speaker Boehner’s invitation without the consultation of the White House weeks before the Israeli elections breached protocol and aimed to politicize the special relationship between Israel and the U.S. As negotiations between the international community and Iran continue with the hopes of reaching a successful conclusion in the near future, Bibi’s address has the potential to scuttle progress and to convince members of Congress to reject any final deal reached between the P5+1 and Iran. The manner in which this invitation was extended without White House knowledge and the fallout since its announcement… Read More ›

Give Negotiations a Chance Why calling for increased sanctions against Iran while nuclear talks are ongoing is a bad idea. By Amb. Nancy Soderberg and John Bradshaw February 26, 2015 | U.S. News and World Report As negotiators jockey in Geneva to reach a framework agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons by the deadline, which comes at the end of March, hardliners in both Washington and Iran threaten to scuttle the deal. Calls for an arbitrary increase in tough sanctions from Washington and charges of bad faith from Iran indicate many want to squash almost any deal. It is important to recognize how these negotiations are in our deep national interests. Consider the alternative. If these negotiations fail and Iran moves further toward a nuclear… Read More ›

Republicans to Raise Heat on Kerry Over Iran Nuclear Talks By John Donnelly February 24, 2015 | CQ On Defense Critical Moment on Iranian Nukes: Secretary of State John Kerry testifies today before the Senate Appropriations panel that oversees his department’s budget. He’ll probably be asked about reports that he and other Western diplomats are closing in on a deal with Iran that would restrict that country’s enrichment of uranium for perhaps 10 years and then relax the limits somewhat. Kerry was involved in the talks in Geneva Sunday and yesterday. The progressive National Security Network says the potential deal could be “a huge diplomatic success” and urges Congress not to mess it up. But Republicans will probably howl over any agreement that enables Iran to develop technologies and materials it could use to… Read More ›

As Iran Nuclear Deal Takes Shape, Congress Must Act Carefully February 23, 2015 The P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran may be nearing an agreement, according to reports this morning from Vienna. While the details are still unclear, the early speculation is that the deal would effectively lengthen the time it would take Iran to build a nuclear weapon to a point that it could not do so without being detected and stopped by the international community. This would be a huge diplomatic success for the United States. As the talks enter this crucial stage, it is more critical than ever that Congress not pass new legislation that would call into question whether the United States can uphold its commitments under a final deal and potentially… Read More ›

Iran Hawks’ Rush to Pass Legislation Imperils Nuclear Deal February 13, 2015 As P5+1 and Iranian diplomats continue to work toward an agreement to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is pushing forward with legislation that could scuttle the talks. Sen. Corker’s bill, which would subject any final deal to an up-or-down vote in Congress, could be considered as soon as the end of this month. Passing this legislation while negotiators are making considerable progress toward a comprehensive deal would signal to Iranian negotiators that the United States will not be able to carry out its commitments under an agreement and would delay the implementation of any agreement. Congress will have a serious role in any nuclear deal with Iran –… Read More ›