Iran nuclear agreement: Negotiations
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An outline for a nuclear deal with Iran was developed in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 2, 2015.[1] Negotiators initially set a deadline of June 30 to reach a final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but negotiations continued past this deadline and an extended deadline of July 7, 2015, until a final agreement was reached on July 14, 2015.[2]
In April 2015, the State Department released the following statement: "Important implementation details are still subject to negotiation, and nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."[3] The outline demonstrated that negotiators believed they were close enough to move forward with a final deal.
In a speech delivered from the White House Rose Garden, President Barack Obama said, "I am convinced that if this framework leads to a final deal, it will make our country, our allies, and the world safer."[4]
The JCPOA outline was the result of the "Joint Plan of Action" agreement reached on November 24, 2013. Iran agreed to freeze elements of its nuclear program and allow inspectors to examine its nuclear facilities. In return, the P5+1 or E3+3, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States — plus Germany, agreed to lift some sanctions placed on Iran.[5]
Congressional letters
House letter to Obama
| "Chairman Royce Opening Statement at Hearing Iran Nuclear Negotiations." |
On March 23, 2015, 129 House Democrats joined with 238 House Republicans and sent President Obama a letter stating their concern about Iran's uranium enrichment program, its ability to develop a nuclear bomb, and the importance of the negotiations and potential deal with Iran. Lawmakers also asked Obama to consider Iran's destabilizing role in the region and their human rights violations as evidence of the "risks of negotiating with a partner we cannot trust."[6]
The letter stated, "A final comprehensive agreement must constrain Iran's nuclear infrastructure so that Iran has no pathway to a bomb, and that agreement must be long lasting." Lawmakers explained that they would only consider new legislation lifting all sanctions on Iran if they were convinced that Iran would not be able to construct a bomb.[6]
Senate letter to Iran
On March 9, 2015, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 46 other Senate Republicans sent a letter to the Iranian government explaining features of the United States Constitution that would affect any deal made between the U.S. and Iran. Specifically, the letter stated that any deal would be viewed as an executive agreement, which could be modified by Congress or revoked by the next president.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Bob Corker (Tenn.), Dan Coats (Ind.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Thad Cochran (Miss.) did not sign the letter.
Cotton also tweeted the letter in English and Farsi to Ali Khamenei, President Rouhani and Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif.
In response to the letter, Zarif said, "In our view, this letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy. It is very interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history. ...The authors may not fully understand that in international law, governments represent the entirety of their respective states, are responsible for the conduct of foreign affairs, are required to fulfil the obligations they undertake with other states and may not invoke their internal law as justification for failure to perform their international obligations."[7]
Republican comments
| Fox News: "March 11, 2015: Sen. Tom Cotton joins On the Record with Greta Van Susteren." |
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said, "It did not seem to me to be appropriate for us to be writing the ayatollah at this critical time during the negotiations, and frankly, I doubt very much that the ayatollah would be moved by an explanation of our constitutional system."[8]
- Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said, "These are tough enough negotiations as it stands. And introducing this kind of letter, I didn’t think would be helpful."[8]
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said, "I’m not going to sit here and defend the Senate letter. But the letter might never had been written had the administration been more open with members of the Senate and members of the House about what was going on and what their goals are."[9]
- In an interview with Fox News' Greta van Susteren on March 10, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, "What that letter did was tell the Iranians that whatever deal they make, the Congress of the United States will play a role. Maybe that wasn’t the best way to do that, but I think the Iranians should know that the Congress of the United States has to play a role in whether an agreement of this magnitude" is reached.[10]
- Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations who served in the George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush administrations, said, "If you are a country in the Middle East or Asia relying on Washington, this raises questions about America’s predictability. I hear this all the time. I just know it makes others around the world more uncomfortable and contributes to a more dangerous and disorderly world."[9]
- Phil Zelikow, senior adviser to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said, "It is never a good idea for elected leaders to give foreigners, and especially foreign enemies, a formal invitation to join our domestic arguments. It is not the conduct one would ordinarily expect from leaders of a great power."[9]
- On March 15, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reaffirmed his support for the letter. He said, "I don’t think it was a mistake. It’s no more unusual than Robert Byrd going to Moscow or John Kerry going to Managua."[11]
- According to The Hill, "McConnell pointed out that former Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) flew to Moscow in 1979 during the Carter administration to explain to Russian officials that the Senate could block the Salt II nuclear treaty, then under discussion. He also recalled that then Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) flew to Nicaragua 1980s [sic] to meet with the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and accuse the Reagan administration of terrorism."[11]
Democratic response
- On March 9, 2015, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "It’s unprecedented for one political party to directly intervene in an international negotiation with the sole goal of embarrassing the president of the United States. Republicans need to find a way to get over their animosity of President Obama."[12]
- In response to the letter, former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton posted the following tweet:
- Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said, "This is a brazen attempt by Senate Republicans to sabotage negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. This bizarre, inappropriate letter is a desperate ploy to scuttle a comprehensive agreement and the chance for a peaceful resolution, which is in the best interests of the United States, Israel and the world."[7]
- In an interview on March 15, Secretary of State John Kerry criticized the letter, saying, "It specifically inserts itself directly to the leader of another country saying, 'Don't negotiate with these guys because we're going to change this,' which by the way, is not only contrary to the Constitution with respect to the executive's right to negotiate, but it is incorrect because they cannot change an executive agreement. So it's false information and directly calculated to interfere and basically say, 'Don't negotiate with them. You've got to negotiate with 535 members of Congress.'"[13]
See also
- Iran nuclear agreement: An overview
- Iran nuclear agreement: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
- Iran nuclear agreement: Timeline
- Iran nuclear agreement: Legislation
- Iran nuclear agreement: Congressional review
- 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal
- Iran nuclear agreement: U.S. - Israeli relations
- Iran nuclear agreement: Public opinion
- Outline for nuclear agreement with Iran reached
- Iran nuclear agreement talks resume ahead of deadline
- 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal
- John Kerry
- Tom Cotton
- Barack Obama
- P5+1 and E3+3
External links
- House letter to President Obama
- Detailed Timeline of Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran
- "Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Status of Talks and the Role of Congress"
- "PM Netanyahu's Speech in Congress"
- "An Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran"
- "Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program"
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Footnotes
- ↑ Foreign Policy, "You say P5+1, I say E3+3," accessed April 3, 2015
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Suggests Open-Ended Iran Talks," July 7, 2015
- ↑ State.gov, "Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ YouTube.com, "President Obama on the International Nuclear Framework with Iran," accessed April 3, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "The Iran nuclear deal: full text," accessed March 24, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 ForeignAffairs.House.gov, "Letter to President Obama," accessed March 24, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Foreign Policy, "GOP Senators to Tehran: We’re Waiting in the Wings to Kill a Nuclear Deal," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Hill, "GOP letter to Tehran backfires," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Washington Post, "In wake of GOP letter to Iran, battle erupts over blame for dysfunction," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP plays defense on Iran," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Hill, "McConnell: Obama on cusp of 'a very bad deal' with Iran," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Obama, GOP grapple over Iran," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Kerry: GOP Iran letter ‘absolutely calculated’ to interfere with talks," accessed March 23, 2015
