Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin is raising concerns about the Biden administration’s negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
The West Virginia Democrat argued that lifting sanctions without Iran demonstrating it will abide by the terms of the agreement could have negative repercussions for the United States and its allies.
In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, Mahcnin noted that Iran violated the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which aimed to place limits on Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for a rollback of international sanctions and was abandoned by the Trump administration in 2018, multiple times and called for a “detailed briefing.”
“I support President Biden’s commitment to reengaging the Government of Iran in diplomacy, we should not reward Iran with sanctions relief before they demonstrate verifiable efforts towards curbing their malign influence holistically; including their nuclear ambitions. terrorism financing, and dual-use weapons development,” he wrote.
TOP REPUBLICANS RAISE CONCERNS OVER REENTERING IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
“I am particularly worried about reports that you might be considering removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list in the hopes that trade relations can be reestablished with Iran to assist with our energy crisis,” he added. “Let me be clear. The IRGC is a terrorist organization. We must not be shortsighted in the use of sanctions relief to mitigate our present energy challenges.”
Manchin argued that sanctions “are our primary leverage” to halt malicious actions and a key component in facilitating agreements, asserting that he believes the U.S. needs to invest in national security and the energy sector in an effort to become less reliant on other countries.
Manchin emphasized that lifting sanctions could ease the path for Iran in developing nuclear weapons, posing an increased threat to the U.S. and its allies, such as Israel.
Manchin said he feels strides need to be taken to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program but asserted that Congress should be consulted on the agreement before the U.S. enters a deal.
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Republicans and defense hawks have been vocal about their reluctance for the U.S. to reenter a similar agreement to the 2015 deal, arguing that it should be treated as a treaty and approved by Congress.
Negotiations on a new Iran deal have remained stalled in recent weeks as countries grapple with key provisions.
