McConnell Skeptical, Schumer Bucks & Iran Foreign Minister Says Obama Misleading American People

Today in Washington, D.C. - April 7, 2015
Congress on recess until Monday, April 13th.

Today, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President.  He joins Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as officially declared candidates.

While the President Obama pushes his Iran Deal, a couple U.S. Senate leaders on opposite sides of the isle have declared their non-confidence.

The Washington Free Beacon reports, "Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people and Congress in a fact sheet it released following the culmination of negotiations with the Islamic Republic. Zarif bragged in an earlier press conference with reporters that the United States had tentatively agreed to let it continue the enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, as well as key nuclear research. Zarif additionally said Iran would have all nuclear-related sanctions lifted once a final deal is signed and that the country would not be forced to shut down any of its currently operating nuclear installations."

Roll Call writes, “Fresh off a trip to the Middle East, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reaffirmed Monday afternoon that his chamber would weigh in legislatively regarding the framework agreement between the United States, Iran and other nations involved in the negotiations. . . . McConnell highlighted next week’s expected advancement through the Foreign Relations Committee of legislation introduced by Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., that would provide for a congressional approval process for a final agreement with Iran. And while McConnell said the Senate would review what’s presented by the Obama administration, his first take was decidedly negative.

“In initially reviewing the parameters of the interim agreement, several things are obvious: Iran will continue to enrich uranium and retain more than 6,000 centrifuges, and continue the research and development of more advanced centrifuges. Under no terms should the administration suspend sanctions, nor should the United Nations remove sanctions until the Iranians reveal all aspects of the Possible Military Dimensions of its previous research,” McConnell said.

“‘The parameters of the interim deal, in essence, establish an internationally recognized, 10-year nuclear research and development program. Until we know more about Iran’s previous research, no nation can be sure of what Iran may have developed covertly already. The choice is not between recognizing Iran as a threshold nuclear state or going to war,’ McConnell added. ‘Instead the administration should have made clear to the Iranians that additional sanctions and a credible military threat awaited further delay and intransigence.’”

Leader McConnell summarized the central problem: “[T]he Obama administration has always approached the goal of these negotiations as reaching the best deal that is acceptable to Iran, rather than what should be our national goal: ending Iran's nuclear program.”

And the president seems to be admitting that the current framework doesn't do that. According to the AP, “Iran could have the capabilities to build a nuclear bomb almost immediately after the first 13 years of the emerging nuclear deal, President Barack Obama acknowledged on Tuesday. House Speaker John Boehner reacted tersely, arguing that Obama had just confirmed what critics of the deal have long feared. Under the framework for a final deal, Iran would be kept at least a year away from a bomb for the first decade, Obama said, as he pressed ahead in his campaign to sell the deal to skeptics. . . .

“‘What is a more relevant fear would be that in Year 13, 14, 15, they have advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium fairly rapidly, and at that point, the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero,’ Obama said. Breakout time refers to how long it would take to build a bomb if Iran decided to pursue one full-bore — in other words, how long the rest of the world would have to stop it. The framework deal expands Iran's breakout time — currently two to three months — to at least a year.

“Yet that constraint would stay in place only for 10 years, at which point some restrictions would start phasing out. Boehner, R-Ohio, said Tehran was taking the long view and cautioned that the Iranian regime could exploit the easing of restrictions to fulfill its ambitions of exporting revolution across the globe.”

Importantly, there is bipartisan skepticism of this deal. And Democrats are agreeing with Republicans that Congress has a key role to play in reviewing this potential agreement.

Politico reports, “Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of Capitol Hill’s most influential voices in the Iran nuclear debate, is strongly endorsing passage of a law opposed by President Barack Obama that would give Congress an avenue to reject the White House-brokered framework unveiled last week.

“The comments Monday by the Democratic leader-in-waiting illustrate the enormity of the task ahead for Obama and his team: While there’s no guarantee that Congress would ultimately reject an agreement with Iran, there’s an increasingly bipartisan consensus that Congress should at least have the ability to do so.

“‘This is a very serious issue that deserves careful consideration, and I expect to have a classified briefing in the near future. I strongly believe Congress should have the right to disapprove any agreement and I support the Corker bill which would allow that to occur,’ Schumer said in an emailed statement to Politico. . . .

“Now that the outlines of an agreement are known, Schumer’s emphatic statement that Congress has an important role becomes more significant, signaling to fellow Democrats that it’s safe to jump on board the review bill.”

As Leader McConnell said, “The administration needs to explain to the Congress and the American people why an interim agreement should result in reduced pressure on the world's leading state sponsor of terror. The Senate will review these parameters more thoroughly, and respond legislatively with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, which is scheduled to be reported out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week.”

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