demand Biden release text of any Iran nuclear deal: Lawmakers raise alarm that U.S. will weaken sanctions on terrorist funding as talks accelerate
- 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans signed a letter to Joe Biden on Thursday
- They asked him to share the text of a proposed new nuclear deal with Iran
- After 16 months of torturous talks, hopes are high that agreement is near
- But the 50 lawmakers fear it could let Russia in on Iran’s nuclear program
- And they say it could weaken sanctions on Tehran’s terrorist activities
- ‘We need to address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, stand strong against terrorists, and protect American values and allies,’ said Rep. Josh Gottheimer
A bipartisan group of members of Congress raised fears on Thursday that a new nuclear deal with Iran will weaken sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and open the door to Russia playing a role in the country’s atomic program.
In a letter to the White House, 50 Republicans and Democrats demanded that President Joe Biden provide Congress with the draft text of any new agreement.
After months of talks, negotiations appear to have entered the final stages.
The letter was organised by Democrat Josh Gottheimer and Republican Andrew Garbarino, and flags reports that the deal will rule out secondary sanctions on non-Americans doing business with the IGRC.
‘The IRGC has directly, or through its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Ansar Allah (Houthis), Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and scores of Shiite militias in Iraq, killed hundreds of Americans, and attacked our bases and our allies in the region, say the 50 lawmakers – 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans.
‘Strengthened with an estimated one trillion dollars in sanctions relief over a decade, Iran and the IRGC would be an enormous danger to Americans at home and abroad, and to our allies.’