A powerful Senate Democrat on Friday became the third member of President Obama’s party to announce his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, and called his decision “a close call.”
Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, joined Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey as the only Democrats so far to go against Obama.
Cardin made it clear that he’s worried about lifting sanctions against Iran too quickly.
“After Iran has received sanctions relief, it will be difficult to effectively re-impose sanctions to prevent a nuclear breakout,” Cardin wrote in a Washington Post op-ed announcing his opposition. “If Iran then rushed to produce a nuclear weapon, using the military option becomes more likely.”
Cardin dedicated more of his op-ed to noting “significant achievements” in the deal, including a significant restriction on Iran’s nuclear program for the next 10 to 15 years with a veto-proof ability to snap back sanctions if Iran is found in violation of the accord.
He also warned that after 10 to 15 years, the deal would leave Iran with “the option to produce enough enriched fuel for a nuclear weapon in a short time.”
But Cardin went further by saying he would soon introduce legislation to put new pressure on Iran, including through sanctions. In his op-ed, Cardin said he would immediately introduce legislation to strengthen congressional oversight of the deal and to boost security in the region.
The proposal echoes major concerns among opponents who say the lifting of $150 million in sanctions against Iran will allow the country to ramp up its sponsorship of terrorism in the region. His bill would make it U.S. policy to deny Iran a nuclear weapon, ensure no sanctions relief for Iran until Iran clarifies how its past nuclear work may have contributed to a nuclear weapon, and call for expedited sanctions against Iran if there’s evidence Iran plays a role in terrorist acts against the United States.
Cardin was only recently elevated to the ranking position on Foreign Relations. He replaced Menendez, who stepped down after an indictment on corruption charges.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who chairs that committee, said opposition from the two lawmakers is significant.
“The fact that the two Democrats who have spent the most time in understanding the details and impact of this deal do not support it speaks volumes,” Corker said in a statement.
Approval for the agreement has been steadily increasing, and there is enough support to sustain President Obama’s veto of an expected resolution disapproving the agreement. However, Republicans now appear to be just one vote shy of blocking a Democratic filibuster of the disapproval resolution. That means the Senate seems increasingly likely to hold a vote on the disapproval resolution, even if the Senate eventually upholds Obama’s veto.
