Fifty representatives call on the president to share text with Congress.
A group of 50 members of the House of Representatives has requested that President Joe Biden share the text of a potential agreement with Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Congress before any papers are signed.
Leading the effort are Representatives Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Andrew Garbarino of New York. In their letter, they raise concerns that provisions reportedly included in the agreement could lead to weakening U.S. sanctions on Iran that are meant to target funding for terrorist activities.
The letter comes as international officials are suggesting the possibility of an imminent agreement between the U.S. and Iran to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). French President Emanuel Macron said he hopes the JCPOA will be “concluded in the next few days.”
On Wednesday, President Biden spoke with Israel’s Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid, a signal that progress has been made on a potential deal. The U.S. has maintained close communication with Israel over the negotiations, with Jerusalem strongly opposing a return to the deal.
In their letter, the bipartisan group of federal legislators raised concerns over a number of reported provisions. One of the provisions in question regards excluding non-U.S. citizens from sanctions for doing business with U.S.-sanctioned Iranian persons, including those associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
President Biden’s administration says the JCPOA is the best chance to reduce the risk of Iran building a nuclear weapon. The administration has engaged in indirect negotiations with Iranian officials for 16 months to bring both parties back to the agreement from which former President Trump withdrew the U.S. in 2018.
The bipartisan letter sent Thursday also raised concern about Russia’s role in the talks given the U.S.-led international isolation campaign against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Russia is one of the signatories to the JCPOA, a list that also includes China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For members of the House as they seek transparency surrounding the potential Iran nuclear deal.
- For the president and his advisors as they consider the letter from the congressional representatives.
- For U.S. negotiators as they collaborate with other nations regarding the Iranian nuclear agreement.
Sources: The Hill, Politico, New York Times
