10 US Senate committee chairs warn against new anti-Iran sanctions bill

Ten US Senate committee chairs are circulating a joint letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) warning him against the anti-Iran efforts of the Foreign Relations Committee chairman.

The top Democratic senators have warned that a new anti-Iran sanctions bill introduced by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) would disrupt the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

“We have consistently and strongly opposed any new sanctions legislation during the negotiation,” the leading senators said.

“Members of Congress pressing for this bill are effectively choosing to close the door on diplomacy,” they added.

The Democratic senators who signed the letter were Banking Committee Chair Tim Johnson (South Dakota), Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (California), Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin (Michigan), Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Mikulski (Maryland), Commerce Committee Chair John Rockefeller (West Virginia), Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (California), Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chair Thomas Carper (Delaware), Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (Vermont), Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Ron Wyden (Oregon), and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (Iowa).

On Thursday, Menendez and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) introduced a new anti-Iran sanctions bill. The bill was co-sponsored by 12 other Democrats, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York), and 12 other Republicans.

“It is shameful and wrong for Senators to intentionally undermine the potential for a negotiated, diplomatic solution. We urge all Senators to avoid action that heightens the risk of conflict,” said MoveOn Executive Director Anna Galland.

US President Barack Obama was also quick to condemn the new anti-Iran effort on Capitol Hill by some hawkish senators, saying he would veto the bill if it ever passed Congress.

“If it were to pass, the president would veto it,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Thursday.

On November 24, Iran and the P5+1 inked an interim deal in Geneva to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Tehran over its nuclear energy program.

However, some US senators are seeking to sabotage all efforts towards the full resolution of the West’s dispute with Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister and top nuclear negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif has already warned that “the entire deal is dead” if US Congress passes new sanctions against Iran.