Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahusignaled thatIsraelwont rush to attackIranif the international negotiations to curtail the countrys nuclear program dont reach a deal by a Nov. 24 deadline.Instead, the Israeli leader said yesterday that failure should lead to more sanctions rather than a military conflict. In the past, Israeli officials have threatened military action, saying a nuclear Iran would be an existential threat to their nation.
Israel cannot allow a regime committed to its destruction to develop the weapons to achieve that goal, but the alternative to a bad deal is not war, Netanyahu said in a video address from Israel to a Jewish audience in suburbanWashington. It means giving existing sanctions -- and even stronger sanctions - - more time to work to achieve the goal of fully dismantling Irans nuclear capabilities.
His remarks may encourage moves in theU.S. Congressto impose harsher sanctions on Iran, as well as criticism of any accord that falls short of the Israeli leaders aims.
Congressional Republicansare pushing to move ahead with legislation introduced four months ago that would enable Congress to review -- and potentially express its disapproval of -- any final nuclear deal. The proposal also would trigger the re-imposition of all sanctions that have been eased for the last year under an interim accord if a comprehensive deal isnt reached by the Nov. 24 deadline, or if Iran is found to be cheating on its nuclear commitments.
Senate Control
With Democrats retaining Senate control during the lame-duck session that began today, the bill has little chance of reaching the floor or being adopted before the scheduled final round of negotiations in Vienna.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and one of the co-sponsors of the Iran legislation, plans to press the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tomorrow to move forward with the bill. Senate aides, though, said any immediate action could be blocked by Democrats.
An amended version of the bill is likely to be reintroduced in January when the Republicans take control, according to the aides, who asked not to be identified discussing internal planning.
SenatorBob CorkerofTennessee, now the top Republican on the committee, is sponsoring the bill, S. 2650, which would mandate congressional review and strict enforcement of any final deal.
Proposed Legislation
Corker said by e-mail that he has heard concern from senators in both parties that PresidentBarack Obamas administration might back away from commitments about the role Congress would play in approving a deal or easing sanctions.
First introduced four months ago, the Iran Nuclear Negotiations Act of 2014 would require that the president submit any final nuclear agreement to Congress for review within three days of signing it. Congress then would have 15 days to review the agreement before taking a vote to express its approval or disapproval.
While such a vote couldnt nullify an agreement reached by the U.S. and the five other powers negotiating with Iran, Republicans are seeking to put pressure on the president and congressional Democrats ahead of elections in 2016.
Menendez, Kirk
Congress has signaled that they will not simply roll over and permit the Obama administration to conclude an Iran deal without their involvement, saidMark Dubowitzof the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based policy group. He has advised Congress on drafting sanctions to squeeze Irans economy, which is also under pressure from loweroil prices.
SenatorRobert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who remains chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee until Republicans take over in January, said in an e-mail that his primary concern in the negotiations before Nov. 24 is that any deal actually dismantles, not just stalls, Irans illicit nuclear program.
In a joint statement today, Menendez and Republican SenatorMark Kirkof Illinois, his co-sponsor in writing some of the most stringent existing sanctions, said gradual sanctions relaxation would only occur if Iran strictly complied with all parts of an agreement that would prevent it from ever becoming a threshold nuclear weapons state.
Kerry-Zarif Meeting
If a potential deal does not achieve these goals, we will work with our colleagues in Congress to act decisively, as we have in the past, they said.
U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry, European Union representativeCatherine Ashtonand Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif finished a round of talks on Nov. 10 in the Omani capital of Muscat. U.S. officials said little afterward, while an Iranian diplomat indicated there was no movement toward closing the gaps.
Netanyahu said hes concerned that the U.S. and other world powers are moving toward a bad deal. He said the U.S. and other nations should press firm demands on Iran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure rather than accept a compromise that would rely heavily on inspections and intelligence.
Devastating Impact
Its obvious that Iran wants to remove the sanctions that have had such a devastating impact on its economy, but it should be equally obvious that Iran is not prepared to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return, he told the Jewish Federations of North Americas General Assembly in National Harbor,Maryland.
Unfortunately, instead of holding firm and demanding that Iran dismantle its program, the international community reportedly is willing to leaveIrans nuclear programlargely intact, he said.
While he said his information was based on public reporting, Netanyahu had spoken with Kerry after the most recent round of negotiations in Oman.
Talks between Iran and the group known as the P5+1 -- China,France, Germany, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. -- have been going on for almost a year since the breakthrough interim agreement they reached last November.
Under a final agreement, Iran would have to submit to restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions that cut the Islamic Republics oil output and plunged its economy into recession.
Differences remain over the scope of Irans uranium enrichment program, how and when to lift economic sanctions, and how long Irans nuclear program must remain under international inspections and safeguards. Iran says its program is solely for energy and medical purposes.
By Bloomberg
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