62 US organizations oppose Iran bill

As an anti-Iran bill is gaining support in the US Senate, more than 60 US organizations have delivered a joint letter to the upper chamber urging Senators to oppose the new Iran sanctions legislation.

The letter comes just two days after Iran, the United States and other members of the P5+1 agreed on terms to implement the Joint Action Plan struck in November in Geneva, which will ease existing sanctions on Tehran.

The 62 organizations warned the Senate passage of new Iran sanctions would critically endanger the possibility of diplomatic resolution to a decade-long nuclear standoff with Iran.

They also warned that additional sanctions could increase the likelihood of a new costly war in the Middle East and strongly discouraged Senate consideration of new Iran sanctions while nuclear negotiations proceed.

The letter was jointly organized by the National Iranian American Council, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Win without War, and was signed, among others, by CREDO and MoveOn.org.

The bill was originally introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez and Sen. Mark Kirk and has now the support of almost 60 senators.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid on Monday prevented the chamber from voting on the controversial legislation following the US president’s opposition.

President Barack Obama has threatened to veto any sanctions legislation, saying it would undermine the ongoing talks with Iran.

Tehran also has said that the Geneva deal would be dead if the sanctions bill passes US Congress.

Under the Geneva agreement, the P5+1 undertook to lift some of the existing sanctions against Iran in exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building measure to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities for a six-month period. It was also agreed that no nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on the country within the same timeframe.