sanctions

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 ›

Why the U.S. Should Not Arm Ukraine Right Now March 6, 2015 Today, members of Congress and outside voices are continuing the push to send lethal aid to Kiev. These calls are ill-timed, especially while a tenuous ceasefire seems to have taken hold pursuant to the Minsk II agreement reached last month between European powers, Ukraine, and Russia. While the future of the ceasefire remains very much in doubt, a decision to send arms to Kiev now would carry more cost than benefits, undermining rather than protecting U.S. and European interests. Top costs include inducing Russian escalation, giving Putin political cover to violate the ceasefire, and undermining transatlantic unity in confronting Moscow’s aggression. Despite these costs, American arms will not empower Kiev to successfully resist… 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 ›

More Legislative Threats to Iran Negotiations Loom Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) decision yesterday to postpone voting on a new sanctions bill that would have disrupted U.S. negotiations with Iran was a strong step to preserve the diplomatic process to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The bill, which is still scheduled to go through mark-up tomorrow, is opposed by U.S. negotiating partners because it would push Iran away from the talks and jeopardize the international coalition that has enforced sanctions so far. While postponing a vote is good news for diplomacy, it only defers what will continue to be a threat to undo the negotiations, and other congressional proposals require urgent attention. Congress should focus on constructive legislation that reinforces U.S. negotiators’ work rather… Read More ›

Iran Nuclear Deal Halts Congress’s March to Sanctions By John Hudson November 25, 2013 | Foreign Policy A mounting bipartisan effort to impose additional sanctions on Iran was sent into disarray on Monday following the weekend’s announcement of a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Although some hawks in Congress want to charge ahead with additional sanctions against Tehran, that effort has taken a backseat to legislation that will let the Geneva deal play out — an important victory for the White House. Much was made of the bipartisan outrage Sunday over the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) called the deal “disappointing,” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said it gave too much away and Republicans called it a “blow to our allies.”Media reports warned that… Read More ›

It appears that talks later this summer with the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, may be the first chance to scrutinize the intentions and influence of Iran’s new president of Hassan Rouhani, the most moderate of the candidates allowed to run in last month’s Iranian presidential elections, who will be inaugurated in August. Bipartisan leaders have called for a measured approach that offers Rouhani the chance to show that he wants to negotiate and that willingness to compromise will bring results – maintaining international coalition pressure but not taking new steps that would empower hardliners in Tehran. Iranian people signal frustration with status quo, elite debate over the way forward. The Washington Post’s David Ignatius writes: “it’s premature to assume that Rouhani’s election signals any breakthrough… Read More ›

In Iran talks, North Korea parallel goes only so far By Ron Kampeas April 09, 2013 | Jewish Journal If you have nuclear weapons, all sorts of bad behavior will be tolerated. That’s the lesson some are worried Iran may be learning from North Korea’s increasingly confrontational stance against South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has stepped up its belligerent rhetoric in recent days, threatening to strike targets in South Korea and America, shuttering the joint North-South industrial park at Kaesong and warning foreigners to leave South Korea to avoid possible nuclear war. The Obama administration has scrambled to tamp down tensions, in part by delaying some planned military exercises. Combined with the latest failure to reach any accord in talks between the major… Read More ›

Targeted sanctions towards Iran have been a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s successful strategy to internationally isolate Iran, along with diplomatic pressure and security cooperation with allies and partners in the region.  Last week, a number of high-profile national security and economic experts issued a report exploring the costs and benefits of sanctions. The bipartisan signatories include Amb. James Dobbins, Sen. Chuck Hagel, Rep. Lee Hamilton, Ellen Laipson, Paul Pillar, Vali Nasr, James Walsh, Amb. Daniel Kurtzer, Jessica Matthews, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, Karim Sadjadpour, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neil, and General Anthony Zinni, among others. The analysis finds that sanctions have had a meaningful impact on the regime in Tehran; cautions that they also carry… Read More ›