In a sign that getting the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran through Congress might by difficult, if not impossible, 49 out of 50 Republican Senators have announced they will not back any deal that doesn’t limit Iran’s missile program and “confront Iran’s support for terrorism.”
The deal isn’t intended to cover those issues, merely Iran’s civilian nuclear program. The terms are not public, but its not expected to touch on either issue. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only senator to not come out opposed.
Sen. Paul said it didn’t make sense to condemn an unfinished deal, saying it is “not a very thoughtful position.” It is unclear where Senate Democrats will fall on the deal.
Either way, reports noted that the nuclear deal survived Congress in 2015 despite overwhelming Republican objection and their control of the Senate. Now, they don’t control the body at all, so any attempt to block it outright is going to depend on support from Democrats.
How this will ultimately break down likely depends on if and when the deal is finalized, and what efforts the Biden Administration makes to sell the plan.
The Iran side of the deal promises to get more Iranian oil onto the global market, and potentially the US market too. With prices up on the Russia-Ukraine war, that could be a strong incentive.
At the same time, there are questions about how the deal will reconcile Iran sanctions relief and Russian responsibilities with new Russia sanctions. The US has said they won’t interfere, but has also demanded Russia stop asking for consultations on how the two deals won’t interfere. The US has threatened to leave the talks, and work out a bilateral deal without Russia.
Though it’s not clear this is related to that, an alternative track for the deal could give Biden more time to get support, and a new selling point in that they are spiting Russia.
They are opposed to a deal that they have never read.
“confront Iran’s support for terrorism.”
Which, of course, means support for anyone Israel considers an enemy. The US sells allies weapons to drop on starving people in Yemen. One of those allies puts people through meat grinders and just whacked 81 people in a day. But they draw the god damn line at anyone who has differences with Israel. Those be terrorists.
Israel was given by Saudi about 13 billions dollars as bribes to help Saudi get some good publicity in the west .They took the money .
Radical repressive anti western anti-Americans Saudi became “moderate ” . Iran shall pay now and then few millions to the Israelis to get off the list.
Sudan became normal and got off the list off the terror sponsoring countries after agreeing to be friend of Israel. Trump facilitated the deal.
Were not the protesting Israeli students instrumental in bringing attention to the crimes of Sudan generating interests in the west ? Didn’t that interest lead to the bifurcation of Sudan?
“Indeed, Americans who did take Saudi money including academic institutions and non-governmental organizations were often pilloried as tools of the Arabs, with the Israel Lobby and its propagandists raising the political cost of accepting Saudi largesse so high that many people and institutions shied away.
to a source briefed by U.S. intelligence analysts, the Saudis have given Israel at least $16 billion over the past 2 ½ years, funneling the money through a third-country Arab state and into an Israeli “development” account in Europe to help finance infrastructure inside Israel. The source first called the account “a Netanyahu slush fund,” but later refined that characterization, saying the money was used for public projects such as building settlements in the West Bank.” https://consortiumnews.com/2015/04/15/did-money-seal-israeli-saudi-alliance/
Dirty money , more of it : “Nuland’s comments come amid reports that at least 14 private jets departing from Russia have landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport since the Western world launched its unprecedented sanctions against Putin’s inner circle. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-u-s-growing-alarmed-over-israel-s-safe-harbor-for-russian-oligarchs-1.10672052
Anything to please the top donor. Well, Sheldon Adelson is dead now, but his wife Miriam Adelson holds the money. Iran must be destroyed as it is pro-Palestinian, just like pro-Palestinian Saddam Hussein must be deposed even though he even invaded Iran with U.S. backing.
Sheldon Adelson owned the newspaper Israel Hayom and the Israeli weekly newspaper Makor Rishon. Miriam owns those now. Sheldon was Netanyahu’s mentor, though he turned against him some time before Netanyahu lost the prime minister post. Sheldon Adelson is the reason Trump brought in the neocon Elliot Abrams as head of Middle East policy, and the insanely bloodthirsty John Bolton, Adelson’s favorite. Both Abrams and Bolton had said Trump was a Russian agent and so on.
His wife, presumably, shared her husband’s “friends”, and we know she has the same opinions.
A study showed that when the GOP and Dems have top donors who want one thing, and “grassroots” who want another, then almost always the donors have their way.
The deal has become of little value to Iran. US wanted to get oil, and possibly a way to control Iran. What will US hawks now accomplish by scuttling the desl?
Probably some Israel gifts are tied to
“Iranian threat”, so why guve tnem up?
And with US now ofeocupief with the war in Europe -/, a war whichu could have been prevtented by sdfressing Russia’s security concerns.
It can hardly want anothef wsrbwithout making it global.
One of the most common criticism of Biden is that gasoline prices are too high. The cost of energy contributes significantly to inflation. Bringing Iran’s oil back online could be the fastest way to get price relief. Is it more important for Republicans to blame Biden than to help fix the problem? Or perhaps this is just a publicity stunt that recognizes that the deal won’t happen for some time anyway?
“Is it more important for Republicans to blame Biden than to help fix the problem?”
The answer would be yes, even if they actually considered high oil prices a problem. But one of the top jobs of US politicians, especially presidents but also congresscritters, is to keep oil prices as high as possible (so that US production becomes profitable), while constantly assuring us that they really, really, really hate high oil prices.
Well said!
Only 49 senators? What happened to the other 51? Any communication failure?
Rand Paul is just waiting to read it before he disagrees. The democrats are being silent because the guy who Wal Mart turned down as a greeter is president and is pretending to want back in the deal.
Democrats or Republicans. What difference they make ? Both puppets on the same string
i just learned that mossad has a base (not even secret) in iraq.
so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, uncle sam. right bush?
“49 Israeli Senators Will Oppose Iran Nuclear Deal”…!
I happen to hold that the P5+1 agreement is not necessary because Iran had many years without it to build and test a nuclear bomb and did not do so. The sanest policy is now to hold Iran to the NPT agreement which Iran has signed and gradually lift all sanctions. Meanwhile work for a Middle-Eastern Security Arrangement which includes all states between the Mediterranean and India. Too difficult? Then the continuation of the current failing policy is a blanket to cover difficult hence do nothing.
And get oil out of the equation as much as possible. The issue is nuclear armaments. Israel will have to become an NPT member too and participate in talks about reducing nuclear arsenals.