Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is calling for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold “major hearings” ahead of the United States reviving its participation in the Iran nuclear deal, asserting that he believes Congress should be consulted before reentering a new agreement.
The Kentucky Republican’s concerns about the Biden administration’s plans to re-up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which looks to place a limit on Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for a rollback of international sanctions, could be finalized in the coming days.
McConnell cited committee Chairman Robert Menendez’s comments asserting that the U.S. needs to take strides to counter Iran’s nuclear program. McConnell argued that it is a decision that warrants bipartisan consideration before a decision is made.
“The nature of the Biden administration’s approach to Tehran thus far has concerned not just Republicans but members of both parties,” McConnell said. “Our Democratic colleague, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, recently exhorted the administration and our partners to ‘exert more pressure on Iran to counter its nuclear program, its missile program, and its dangerous behavior around the Middle East, including attacks on American personnel and assets.’”
TOP REPUBLICANS RAISE CONCERNS OVER REENTERING IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
Top Republicans have repeatedly blasted the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the Trump administration pulled out of in 2018, arguing that Iran did not abide by the terms of the agreement in the past and that there is no reason to believe it will move forward.
“According to public reports, multiple key diplomats recently walked off the administration’s negotiating team because of concerns the chief negotiator was going much too soft,” McConnell said. “Since the very beginning, I have pushed this administration to clearly explain its Middle East strategy — if they even have one. I have encouraged them to push back strongly against Iranian aggression and contest growing Russian and Chinese influence in a region of significant interest to the United States.”
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McConnell went on to accuse the administration of “choosing weakness in the Middle East” and called for his Democratic colleagues to thoroughly review the policy before voicing support.
“If the president seeks to remove sanctions on Iran, there will be votes,” he said. “Democrats who now regret their recent vote to protect the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should think twice before voting to help President Biden ease sanctions on Iranian entities that engage in terrorism, missile proliferation, or human rights abuses.”
