The Washington Free Beacon late on Thursday published details of measures emerging from the House of Representatives seeking to – per the outlet – “reset the terms of a controversial nuclear accord reached between Iran and Western nations several weeks ago in Geneva.”
The new bipartisan Iran measure, which was filed Thursday evening by Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), asks that the Obama administration and other Western nations recast the parameters of the negotiations with Iran. The Western negotiating team known as the P5+1 should “only accept a final nuclear agreement with Iran that definitively prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, ceases Iran’s construction of advanced missiles and warheads, suspends Iran’s support for terrorist organizations, and reduces human rights violations within Iran,” according to the measure.
Roskam’s resolution, which is backed by Reps. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), Gene Green (D., Texas), and Dan Lipinski (D., Ill.), goes well past the White House’s benchmarks. It stipulates that “Iran should completely dismantle all enrichment facilities and cease all centrifuge production” and “declares that Iran should completely dismantle its heavy-water plutonium reactor at Arak.”
The language is in line with half a dozen United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions calling on Tehran to suspend its nuclear program. It comes amid developments in both the House and Senate which conceded to demands from the Obama administration to take no action to increase pressure on the Islamic republic for at a minimum months. In the Senate Bob Corker (R-TN) explained that the White House had prevailed upon lawmakers.
Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) said the hawkish bipartisan rhetoric amounted to little more than a game of “rope-a-dope,” given Senate leaders’ reluctance to bring up sanctions legislation. The Obama administration has launched a full-scale effort to convince lawmakers and the public that passing new sanctions now would derail diplomatic talks and undermine international sanctions.
In the House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer withdrew previously announced support for motions that would impose conditions on negotiations.
[Photo: Bjoertvedt / Wiki Commons]
