Pro-Iran groups – including one that has been blasted by members of Congress for peddling “propaganda put out by the Iranian regime” – are scrambling to position themselves, as bipartisan Congressional letters from both the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding negotiations with Iran gain traction. The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) last week issued a statement downplaying its stance on recent Congressional letters related to Iran, noting that the group opposed one of them and had remained neutral on the others.
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is pleased that Congress is not passing sanctions or measures that will restrict negotiators. The new political reality in Washington is that there is overwhelming support for a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff with Iran and efforts to undermine negotiations have proven unsuccessful.
“The status quo, in which Netanyahu visits Washington, addresses AIPAC, and Congress agrees to slap new sanctions on Iran, has been turned on its head,” said NIAC Policy Director Jamal Abdi. “The White House, leaders in Congress, outside organizations, and the American people have all put their foot down and said that we don’t want a war and more sanctions, we want to give diplomacy a chance.”
Both of the letters are meanwhile being actively supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The letters lay out the acceptable parameters of a final agreement, including the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. As President Obama has pledged, any agreement must “make it impossible [for Iran] to develop a nuclear weapon.”
The letters have been gaining momentum and coverage in recent weeks, with outlets from across the political spectrum conveying various details. The Senate letters calls on the President to ensure that Congress play “an outsize role… in Iran no matter the result of ongoing nuclear talks,” while the House letter more specifically insists that “a permanent diplomatic agreement will require dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear weapons-related infrastructure, including enrichment-, heavy water-, and reprocessing-related facilities.”
In the meantime the letters point out that financial pressure successfully coerced Iranian leaders into coming to the negotiating table, and that actions should be taken to signal that overwhelming new pressure will be reimposed should Iran violate the interim agreement or – having used negotiations as delaying tactics – eventually walk away from talks. The letters reflect the opinions of lopsided majorities of Americans, per a recent poll conducted for The Israel Project by The Mellman Group.