28 Mar 2024
Saturday 23 November 2013 - 15:22
Story Code : 66355

AIPAC appears to back Obama administration on Iran sanctions relief figures

GENEVA The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has declined to comment on signs that it may be backing the Obama administration over Israel when discussing estimates of the amount of sanctions relief being offered to Iran.
An AIPAC-backedlettersent to the Obama administration on Wednesday and signed by pro-sanctions senators, including Lindsey Graham, Robert Menendez, and John McCain, puts the dollar amount in sanctions relief that could result from ongoing Geneva negotiations over Irans nuclear program at as much as $10 billion. We regard this as a major concession on our part that would not be justified by the concessions the Iranian regime would be required to make in return, the senators wrote.

AIPAC also sent out a story in their morning clips roundup on Wednesday that highlighted the same number.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, have floated a range ofmuch higher estimates, ranging from $15$40 billion in sanctions relief.

The U.S. government has pushed back against Israels estimates and administration officials have said that the amount on the table would not exceed $10 billion, closer to the number in the AIPAC-backed letter, and reportedly told lawmakers that it would not exceed$9 billion. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Powersaid on Thursdaythat sanctions relief would amount to $6 billion.

Asked about the numbers in the letter it backed and in the clip it sent out, AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann declined to comment. Wittmann also did not comment on whether AIPAC has a position on the amount of money that Iran could get out of the interim deal currently being discussed in Geneva.

I am not authorized to speak on the record, Wittmann said.

AIPAC has deniedreportsthat it was one of four major Jewish groups that agreed to hold off on publicly lobbying for new Iran sanctions following a request from the Obama administration, and said it supports additional sanctions on Iran.

AIPAC president Michael Kassen praised Senate Majority Leader Harry Reids decision to back new sanctions legislation in a statement on Thursday, saying This announcement, and the subsequent bill, is an important statement about the resolve of Senate Democrats and Republicans to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.

By Buzz Feed

 

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