The State Department on Thursday denied claims, published earlier that day in Al Monitor’s Congress Pulse, that Secretary of State John Kerry told a group of lawmakers earlier that day that new sanctions on Iran could trigger a breakthrough in nuclear talks between Tehran and the West:
US Secretary of State John Kerry told lawmakers July 17 that passing new triggered sanctions on Iran might help unlock a nuclear deal, a complete reversal from the policy of the President Barack Obama administration until now, several House Democrats of different ideological stripes told Al-Monitor.
State Department Deputy Secretary Marie Harf took to Twitter to walk back Kerry’s statements and criticize the Al Monitor scoop, echoing comments posted minutes earlier on the social media site by State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki:
It should come as no surprise that members of Congress attending breaksfast this morning raised their own proposals for triggered sanctions.
— Jen Psaki (@statedeptspox) July 17, 2014
Sorry, @J_Pecquet, but seems your sources are a little off base here re @JohnKerry comments: http://t.co/ZNKPkjTy0Q
— Marie Harf (@marieharf) July 17, 2014
Among those in attendance was Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, who spoke to Buzzfeed Thursday afternoon:
Rep. Brad Sherman Thursday insisted Secretary of State John Kerry told Jewish lawmakers that he is open to a package of triggered Iran sanctions, despite strong denials from the State Department.
“There was a discussion of a triggered sanctions bill and by what was said or what was not said I came away thinking that there was a bit more openness toward triggered sanctions,” said Sherman, one of the top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee known for his hawkish stances on Israel and Iran issues.
More details from the meeting became public later in the day, with the Washington Free Beacon reporting that Kerry responded positively to a proposal by Congressman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) that Congress would pass new sanctions on Tehran that would be put into effect only if negotiations failed:
“Kerry said, ‘Well that might give us some additional leverage,’” recalled one member of Congress who was in the meeting and spoke to the Washington Free Beacon on background. “When [Kerry] said that, [Rep. Brad] Sherman said, ‘Secretary, that’s huge,’ and the secretary responded, ‘I’m going to check with the White House and see what the admin policy is.’”
Administration officials have in recent days been pressed over statements made last year and earlier this year to the effect that the White House would work with Congress to pass additional sanctions on Iran should the West not reach a comprehensive deal by the July 20 expiry of the interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA). Diplomats this week told the Associated Press that the parties involved in the negotiations plan to extend talks past the weekend, noting that it is unlikely that a final deal will be reached by the deadline.
[Photo: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv / Flickr]