(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) More than 200 Republicans in Congress have sent a letter to President Trump urging him that any deal with Iran must involve the complete dismantlement of Tehran’s nuclear enrichment program, which Iranian officials have made clear is a non-starter.
The letter was signed by 177 GOP House members and every Republican in the Senate except for Rand Paul (R-KY). “The Iranian regime should know that the administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is permanently eliminated,” the letter reads.
The Republicans pointed to comments from Trump administration officials demanding Iran eliminate uranium enrichment, though it’s unclear if that’s the demand they’re making in talks with Iran, since negotiations continue to advance.
“You and your administration have therefore correctly drawn a red line against a deal that allows Iran to retain any enrichment capacity,” the letter says.
The vast congressional opposition to a deal that will allow Iran’s enrichment program to stay intact will be noted by Iran since it’s aware that any deal without congressional approval could be easily reversed by a future president, which makes it less likely for Tehran to make concessions.
According to multiple media reports, Iran has suggested the idea of a joint uranium enrichment program with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent negotiations. But at this point, it’s unclear if the idea is feasible or if the US would accept it.
President Trump has been threatening to bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached, meaning if the talks fail, the US and Iran could go to war. The letter was celebrated by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC since Israel wants the US to participate in an attack on Iran.
“Today, the overwhelming majority of Senate and House Republicans reaffirmed that Iran must dismantle its nuclear program,” AIPAC wrote on X, calling the letter an “important effort.”
Trump has been threatening to attack Iran over its nuclear program even though his intelligence agencies recently reaffirmed that there’s no evidence Tehran is building a bomb or that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reversed his ban on the development of nuclear weapons.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
