US lawmakers sceptical of Iran,caution Obama to not lift sanctions
Iran was placed under economic sanctions after it refused to comply with nuclear limitations.
Top American lawmakers welcomed Iranian calls for renewed diplomatic engagement with the US but cautioned the Obama administration against lifting any sanctions against Tehran.
Three top Republican Senators John McCain,Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte – while sceptical about the real motives of Iran behind the offer – supported the willingness of the Obama Administration to test the credibility of the Iranian regime’s diplomatic overtures.
“However,we are deeply sceptical about the real motivations behind Iran’s charm offensive. We need to approach the current diplomatic initiative with eyes wide open,and we must not allow Iran to use negotiations as a tool of delay and deception. A real negotiation does not mean that the diplomats talk while the Iranians enrich,” they said in a statement.
“While,I welcome the statement by President Rouhani that Iran is seeking a peaceful and diplomatic path,I was disappointed by the overwhelmingly antagonistic rhetoric that characterised his remarks,” Senator Robert Menendez,Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee,said.
Menendez’s remarks came after the Iranian President,Hassan Rouhani,in his address to UN General Assembly in New York said US President Barack Obama’s call for diplomatic talks during his address to the world body just hours before made him optimistic.
“I listened carefully to the statement made by President Obama today at the General Assembly,” Rouhani had said in New York. “Commensurate with the political will of the leadership in the United States and hoping that they will refrain from following the short-sighted interests of warmongering pressure groups,we can arrive at a framework to manage our differences.”
Menendez said in passing four UN Security Council resolutions,the international community has spoken against Iran’s nuclear programme and charted a peaceful path forward.
The official,however,asserted that the formal negotiations would take place only through the “P5 Plus One” process meaning the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US,Britain,France,China and Russia – and Germany.
“It’s important to note that we would never have a negotiation at this point at the presidential level on the substance of any nuclear agreement. The negotiation is going to take place at the foreign minister level and it’s going to take place through the P5-plus-1 process. That is going to go forward later this
week,” he said. “That’s why the President indicated in his speech that Secretary Kerry was going to be tasked with this effort of engaging the Iranians in the P5-plus-1. We do see an opening here for progress to be made through that track,and we’ll continue to pursue it.”
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