Kerry: If Congress Kills Iran Deal, World Will Blame Israel

Engages in 'Intense Exchange' With US Jewish Leaders

Taking his efforts to sell the Iran deal on the road, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at several conferences and media interviews today on the matter, starting off with comments before the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) during which he had some serious warnings for Israel.

During the CFR talks, Kerry cautioned that considering intense Israeli lobbying efforts against the pact, if the US Congress does end up killing the deal the international community is likely to blame Israel more than it blames the US for blocking it.

Kerry also warned during the comments that Congress blocking the deal would be humiliating for the US in general, and would make it difficult for him to negotiate any diplomatic deals, giving the appearance that the US has “535 secretaries of State.

After an appearance on NBC in which he warned Israel against attacking Iran, Kerry met with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. While the details of those comments were not all made public, it was described by those present as a “very intense exchange” with those in attendance.

Among those present at the conference was former Sen. Joe Lieberman (D – CT), who is said to have made “impassioned comments” against the deal. Lieberman is among several former Democratic Congressmen appointed by Israeli lobbying group AIPAC to a major new lobbying campaign against the pact.

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.