Senate Dems Won’t Back Iran Sanctions for At Least Two Months

Key Figures Holding Off on Framework Agreement Deadline

Several key Democratic Senators, including Sen. Robert Menendez (D – NJ), have announced they will withhold support for any new Iran sanctions until at least March 24, giving negotiations a chance to continue at least until then.

The March 24 date was picked as the informal deadline for a framework agreement by the P5+1 on negotiations with Iran. The lack of Democratic support essentially makes it impossible that the Senate can override a threatened presidential veto until then.

There have been myriad warnings that any new sanctions by the US would violate the interim P5+1 deal and sabotage negotiations, which for some hawks opposed to the talks in general was very much the point.

Yet the increasing opposition to a war with Iran has put pressure on officials to at least allow the negotiations to continue for the time being, and means that there will likely not be a vote until at least the end of March.

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.