Senate Leaders Promise New Iran Sanctions After Recess

Deal Or No, Senate Set to Derail Iran Rapprochement

Whether a deal between the P5+1 and Iran is reached or not, Senate leaders say they intend to push through harsh new sanctions against Iran as one of their first moves when they return from recess in early December.

Many of the Senate leaders have openly opposed diplomacy with Iran and have been hyping the sanctions as a way of foiling that effort. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D – NV) insists he supports diplomacy, but also supports the sanctions that threaten to tear any deal reached by those sanctions apart.

Talks between the P5+1 and Iran are meant to yield a deal on reducing the sanctions in return for Iran cutting back on its civilian nuclear program.

That’s going to be a problem for the Obama Administration, since their ability to deliver on such a promise is very much in doubt. Even if they make a deal and temporarily deliver, the Senate sanctions could quickly renege on any pact, and threaten the deal.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.