U.S. PEACE GROUPS RESPOND TO SENATE LETTER TO IRAN ON

Friday, March 13, 2015   12:00 AM - 11:30 PM

On the heels of a series of political stunts on Capitol Hill that have heightened partisanship and threatened to sabotage nuclear negotiations with Iran, 50 organizations sent a letter to the Senate on Thursday warning against legislation that would entrust Congress with expanded powers to block an eventual nuclear deal.

The letter urges Senators to oppose the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (S.615), and was signed by groups including the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), Friends Committee on National Legislation, Win Without War, MoveOn.org, CREDO, and Americans for Peace Now.

As detailed in the letter, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act contains numerous elements that risk disrupting negotiations in their final stage and blocking the President from using existing authorities to implement a prospective deal. The bill would delay implementation of any agreement for 60 days, insert conditions that are outside the scope of the P5+1’s negotiations, and provide Congress with new veto powers over a deal.

We spoke with Jamal Abdi, the Policy Director for the National Iranian American Council, a grassroots, nonprofit organization that works on issues including diplomacy, sanctions, and human rights.