Yesterday saw the publication of an open letter, signed by 47 Republican Senators and addressed to the leaders of Iran, with a simple message: any agreement you make with U.S. President Barack Obama over your nuclear program will not be worth the paper it’s written on; we can block it now or kill it once Obama is out of office. Bloomberg journalist Josh Rogin, who broke the story, stated unequivocally that the letter is meant “to discourage the Iranian regime from signing a deal.” The letter was spearheaded by Sen. Cotton (R-AR), who has long made clear his opposition to any Iran negotiations; signers include including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Government Relations
APN maintains strong relationships with Members of Congress, congressional staff, and Executive Branch officials. A non-partisan organization . with a non-partisan mission, APN supplies timely information, analysis, expertise and education, providing a pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish perspective on issues and legislation related to Israel and the quest for Middle East peace and, security. APN also engages in advocacy, directly and through its nationwide Action Network, to promote pro-Israel/pro-peace legislation and policy
APN publishes the Legislative Round-Up -- the most comprehensive resource available anywhere on Middle East-related developments on Capitol Hill -- every Friday when Congress is in session. APN also hosts policy briefings on Capitol Hill and brings experts to meet with policy makers to maintain a steady flow of balanced information from the region.
For detailed information on each of these bogus arguments against the current Iran diplomacy, go HERE
Additional sanctions and credible threats of military action can secure a better deal with Iran than current negotiations.
Prepare for Netanyahu’s Washington Speeches:
Listen for these 11 Bogus Arguments against an Iran Deal
On March 3rd, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of
Congress, where he is expected to make the case against a nuclear deal with Iran, at least a deal that could
result from the current negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the U.S., France, Germany, the Russian
Federation, the People's Republic of China, and the United Kingdom). During this visit to Washington,
Netanyahu will make other speeches and find other occasions to speak to the media in which he will no doubt,
make the same case. In anticipation of these speeches and statements, it is important to "un-pack" and
debunk the bogus arguments against an Iran deal that Netanyahu is most likely to be making. The eleven
most prominent of those arguments are examined here. The full document can be printed/downloaded here.
Below are the amendments that are pending for this morning's markup in the Senate Banking Committee of S. 269, “The Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015”, along with very brief analysis of what each would do. Taken as a whole, the goal of these amendments appears to be to demonstrate that the base text – which is the subject of serious controversy – could be a lot worse. Which of course is true, but does not change the fact that the base text itself remains problematic, and moving ahead with it at this time directly threatens the ongoing talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
Last week, in an appearance with British Prime Minister Cameron, President Obama laid out -- in the clearest language yet -- the case against Congress pursuing new Iran sanctions at this time. APN wholly concurs with the President's analysis and observations, highlighted below (underlining/bold added by APN).
1. Bills & Resolutions
2. Momentum Picking Up for New Iran Sanctions
3. APN on Kirk-Menendez: Support Iran Diplomacy, Oppose New Iran
Sanctions
4. Palestinian Aid in the Crosshairs
5. Hearings
6. Members on the Record
[NOTE: SEE SECTION 2 FOR ANALYSIS OF NEWER VERSION OF DRAFT KIRK-MENENDEZ BILL, CIRCULATING AS OF THIS AFTERNOON]