Senate tells Obama to stick Iran sanctions relief where the sun don't shine
But upon news that the US would consider offering Iran sanctions relief, key members of the United States Senate decided not to wait until the end of the summit on Friday to move forward with a punishing new sanctions bill against Tehran.
Senator Tim Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said on Thursday that he already had the go-ahead from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to mark up the bill— the last procedural move required before the legislation hits the chamber floor for a vote.
Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, expressed confusion with the policy coming from his fellow Democrats in the White House for "unilaterally" offering sanctions relief without consulting Congress.
"What I do not understand is a negotiating posture in which we suspend our actions, we give them sanctions relief on existing sanctions, yet they continue to be able to enrich," Menendez said on Thursday.
On his way to a separate vote, Menendez "applauded" the move to markup "in the absence" of substantial concessions from Iran.
The development will likely complicate an already difficult negotiation in Geneva, with both sides struggling to find space to concede without angering their domestic political classes.Israel is also opposed to any kind of sanctions relief.
Israeli officials consider the US offer of "limited," reversible sanctions relief in return for a pause of the Islamic Republic's most troubling nuclear activities too generous and vow to publicly oppose such a deal.
"Israel understands that there are proposals on the table in Geneva today that ease the pressure on Iran for concessions that are not concessions at all. The proposal would allow Iran to retain the capabilities to make nuclear weapons," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned on Thursday during a speech to the Jewish Agency.
"Israel totally opposes these proposals. I believe that adopting them would be a mistake of historic proportions and should be rejected outright," Netanyahu said.
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Netanyahu doubled down against any agreement with Iran that stops short of getting it to halt its uranium enrichment, amid reports that just such a deal was in the works.
"The sanctions regime brought the Iranian economy to the brink of the abyss, and the policies of the P5+1 can compel Iran to fully dismantle its nuclear weapons program," Netanyahu said."This means ending all enrichment and stopping all work on the heavy water plutonium reactor."
Netanyahu added that "anything less" would decrease the chances of reaching an agreement through peaceful means. "Israel always reserves the right to defend itself, by itself, against any threat," he asserted.
In a meeting with a delegation of US congressman, Netanyahu called the deal being discussed "the deal of the century" for Iran. He told the delegation that under the deal Iran practically gives up nothing, perhaps a "few days of enrichment," while "all the air" will be taken out of the sanctions regime that took years to build.
"This is a huge mistake that will relieve the internal pressure inside Iran," he stated.It sure sounds like Obama wants Iran to go nuclear, doesn't it?
Three years ago, the excuse for passing Obamacare was that the will of a popular President could not be opposed. That excuse no longer exists today. It is time for every member of Congress - House and Senate - to stand up and be counted for what is good and right and moral, and to oppose the policies of a President who is helping the enemies of the free world.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, P 5+1, Robert Menendez
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:55 PM
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