A US Senator has said America must demand complete nuclear disarmament by Iran during talks with the regime – which he branded a ‘radical, Islamist tyranny’ that has been killing Americans for more than three decades.
The US Congress must either approve any new nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, or impose new sanctions if talks fail, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton insisted.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, he said: “A nuclear-capable Iran is the gravest threat facing America today. The Obama administration’s nuclear negotiations with Iran, the so-called P5+1 talks, were supposed to stop Iran’s rush to a nuclear bomb.
“Regrettably, what began as an unwise gamble has descended into a dangerous series of unending concessions, which is why the time has come for Congress to act.
“Our negotiating ‘partner’ Iran is not a rational or peaceful actor; it is a radical, Islamist tyranny whose constitution explicitly calls for jihad. Iran’s ayatollahs have honored the call: Iran has been killing Americans for more than three decades.”
Iranian-aligned Shiite militants had also seized the capital of Yemen, and Iran continues to prop up Bashar Assad ’s outlaw regime in Syria, Mr Cotton said.
“It is the nature of Iran’s regime to kill Americans, export terror, destabilize the Middle East and foment world-wide Islamic revolution. If Iran commits these crimes against the West now, imagine what Iran would do with a nuclear umbrella.
“Yet the nuclear negotiations have become an endless series of concessions to Iran. As it stands, American negotiators have conceded to Iran the right to enrich uranium, for which Iran has no legitimate need, much less a right.
“The negotiators have also conceded to Iran its plutonium-producing reactor and possession or development of thousands of advanced centrifuges. Nor are the negotiators even addressing Iran’s ballistic-missile program. In return, Iran has received billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
“To end this appeasement, the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday approved legislation that would impose new conditional and prospective sanctions on Iran if nuclear negotiations fail.
“The proposed legislation also calls for congressional approval of any nuclear agreement.
“The threat of future sanctions would cause the Iranians to walk away only if that is what they planned to do all along. The regime in Tehran could easily avoid new sanctions by making a deal.
“Perhaps the Obama administration isn’t so much worried about the ayatollahs’ delicate sensibilities as it is focused on avoiding any deadline for itself or congressional review of its actions. This makes congressional action all the more necessary.
“Congress must protect America from a bad deal—anything less than Iran’s complete nuclear disarmament. The U.S. cannot live with a nuclear Iran, whether it is achieved with a formal agreement or in slow motion through endless negotiations.
“Some Senate Democrats claim to share the goal of stopping a nuclear-armed Iran. They will now have their chance to prove it when this new legislation comes to the Senate floor in a few weeks.”