Special to WorldTribune.com
WASHINGTON — Congress has raised the prospect that the United States would approve an inadequate nuclear agreement with Iran.
The House of Representatives urged the administration of President Barack Obama that Washington might endorse an agreement that would enable Teheran to pursue a nuclear program. The warning to Secretary of State John Kerry was signed by 354 members, or 80 percent of the House, dominated by the Republicans.
“We believe that Iran’s willingness to fully reveal all aspects of its nuclear program is a fundamental test of Iran’s intention to uphold a comprehensive agreement,” the letter, sent to Kerry on Sept. 30, said.
The letter, which includes House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Ed Royce and the ranking Democrat, Rep. Eliot Engel, warned that Teheran was continuing to reject inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The House members said this would make any nuclear agreement with Teheran impossible to monitor.
“We are concerned that an agreement that accepts Iran’s lack of transparency on this key issue would set the dangerous precedent that certain facilities and aspects of Iran’s nuclear program can be declared off limits by Teheran, resulting in additional wide-ranging restrictions on IAEA inspectors, and making effective verification virtually impossible,” the letter said.
The United States has intensified negotiations with Iran in an effort to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement by Nov. 24. Washington and its allies have already granted a four-month extension when Teheran refused demands to guarantee IAEA inspections and reduce nuclear assets.
A key issue has been Teheran’s rejection of an IAEA inspection of the Parchin military complex. The United Nations agency has expressed concern that Parchin was used for nuclear weapons detonation tests a decade ago.
“The only reasonable conclusion for its stonewalling of international investigators is that Tehran does indeed have much to hide,” the letter said.
A similar letter has been sent to Kerry from the Democratic-controlled Senate. But only 30 of out 100 members agreed to join the warning regarding Iran.
“We have learned that the United States and its P5+1 negotiating partners may now be offering troubling nuclear concessions to Iran in the hopes of rapidly concluding negotiations for a deal,” the Senate letter, organized by Sen. Mark Kirk, said.
“Given that a nuclear Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to the security of the United States, Israel, and other allies, we are gravely concerned about the possibility of any new agreement that, in return for further relief of U.S.-led international sanctions, would allow Iran to produce explosive nuclear material.”
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