WASHINGTON (JTA) — A bipartisan slate of senators called on President Biden to aim for an expansive deal that would severely limit Iran’s capacity to do harm.
“Looking ahead, we strongly believe that you should use the full force of our diplomatic and economic tools in concert with our allies on the United Nations Security Council and in the region to reach an agreement that prevents Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons and meaningfully constrains its destabilizing activity throughout the Middle East and its ballistic missile program,” said the letter sent Thursday to Biden, spearheaded by Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat who is the committee chairman, and Linsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who is its ranking member.
Biden has said he wants to reenter the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which trades sanctions relief for a rollback in Iran’s nuclear program, as soon as possible, because he sees it as the best means of keeping Iran from accelerating toward a nuclear weapon.
Former President Donald Trump quit the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, and in retaliation, Iran has broken some of its commitments regarding uranium enrichment. A number of other world powers remain committed to the deal.
Biden wants to negotiate tougher conditions after reentering the deal and to negotiate deals to limited Iran’s missile production and adventurism in the region.
Republicans oppose reentering the deal at all, and the letter, signed by 43 senators, does not deal with whether the 2015 deal should be revived in any way, or jettisoned for a new agreement. The letter also points to widening differences between the parties when it comes to Iran policy: Just 14 of the signatories are Democrats. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee backed the letter.
The letter also calls on Biden to consult with allies, including Israel, in considering Iran policy.
As reported by Vos Iz Neias