Kerry vows to lobby the Hill — and his successor at the Foreign Relations Committee — to keep its hands off Iran.
Bridget Johnson
PJ Tatler
PJ Media
11/24/2013
…Current Chairman [of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee] Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said he continues “to support a two-track policy of diplomacy and sanctions with Iran.”
“In my view, this agreement did not proportionately reduce Iran’s nuclear program for the relief it is receiving. Given Iran’s history of duplicity, it will demand ongoing, on the ground verification,” Menendez said in a statement. “Until Iran has verifiably terminated its illicit nuclear program, we should vigorously enforce existing sanctions. I do not believe we should further reduce our sanctions, nor abstain from preparations to impose new sanctions on Iran should the talks fail. I will be monitoring the enforcement of existing sanctions not covered by the interim agreement to ensure they are being robustly enforced.”
“I expect that the forthcoming sanctions legislation to be considered by the Senate will provide for a six month window to reach a final agreement before imposing new sanctions on Iran, but will at the same time be immediately available should the talks falter or Iran fail to implement or breach the interim agreement,” he added.
However, the administration wants no passage of sanctions at all. A copy of the deal released by Iranian media in the early morning hours states “the U.S. Administration, acting consistent with the respective roles of the President and the Congress, will refrain from imposing new nuclear-related sanctions.”
Secretary of State John Kerry vowed to lobby the Hill to keep its hands off Iran…
Read the entire article at PJ Media.
Related: Peace for Our Time by Victor Davis Hanson
The Iranian agreement comes not in isolation, unfortunately. The Syrian debacle instructed the Iranians that the Obama administration was more interested in announcing a peaceful breakthrough than actually achieving it. The timing is convenient for both sides: The Obama administration needed an offset abroad to the Obamacare disaster, and the Iranians want a breathing space to rebuild their finances and ensure that Assad can salvage the Iranian-Hezbollah-Assad axis. The agreement is a de facto acknowledgement that containing, not ending, Iran’s nuclear program is now U.S. policy…
White House: Obama Tells Netanyahu He’ll ‘Begin Consultations’ About U.S. Iran Solution
…Obama then left for DNC and DCCC events Seattle on a West Coast fundraising swing with senior adviser Valerie Jarrett…
Netanyahu: ‘Today the World Has Become a Much More Dangerous Place’
“Israel is not bound by this agreement…Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.”
Update: Senator: Iran ‘Spiking the Football’ on ‘Weak’ White House
…”I think, from their perspective, they do view this administration as weak. I think, from their standpoint, they see this as their window of opportunity to negotiate with an administration that has shown that it really doesn’t have a lot of the intestinal fortitude that other administrations have had.” …
NY Times: Israeli, Saudi Anger Just “Theater”
House Intelligence Chair: U.S. Rewarded Iran’s Bad Behavior
Soothing Words From Lurch: Deal With Iran “Not Based On Trust”…
…“There’s nothing built on trust,” Kerry said. “You don’t have to trust the people you’re dealing with, you have to have a mechanism put in place whereby you know exactly what you’re getting and you know exactly what they’re doing.”…
