UPDATES: P5+1 Iran Nuclear Negotiations Resource Center
January 16, 2015, Washington, D.C. – Like much of the world, Iranian Americans have followed the Iran nuclear negotiations and ensuing developments with great interest. The PAAIA Public Policy Center is pleased to provide a resource page that provides easily accessible information about the on–going nuclear negotiations between Iran and the members of the P5+1 (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China, and Germany).
The resource page includes a compilation of information provided by the U.S. government on the negotiations as well as viewpoints from members of Congress, editorials from leading news sources, and analyses from foreign policy and national security experts.
While PAAIA supports efforts to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the decade-long stalemate over Iran’s nuclear program, we recognize the importance of ensuring that Iranian Americans are well informed and aware of the positions held by their elected officials and others related to this matter.
Set forth below is a collection of the most recent updates to the P5+1 Iran Nuclear Negotiations Resource Center.
**The views expressed in these articles are solely the views of author or the interviewee, and should not be attributed to the views of PAAIA.**
Statements Made by Administration Officials
January 12, 2015 –
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Powers, made the following statement:
“Some members of Congress believe that the time has come to ratchet up sanctions on Iran. They argue that this is the most effective way to achieve the goal of getting Iran to give up its nuclear program. We in the administration believe that, at this time, increasing sanctions would dramatically undermine our efforts to reach this shared goal.”
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Congressional Reactions to Trigger-Sanctions Legislation
January 15, 2015 –
U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) released the following statement:
“The longer we wait to stop the Iranians from creating a nuclear bomb, the more likely it becomes that our children will witness nuclear war in the Middle East.”
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January 14, 2015 –
U.S. Representative Gary Connolly (D-VA-11) made the following statement:
“Nuance and diplomacy are not our strong suits. My concern has not changed that with the best of intentions, Congress interposes itself in a way that precipitates Iranian walk-away. And I don’t think the world is safer if that happens.”
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U.S. Representative Elliot Engel (D-NY-16) made the following statement:
“I believe that sanctions have brought Iran to the bargaining table. I respect and understand the White House arguing that sanctions — even triggered sanctions — could be counterproductive or even harmful. That’s their judgment. It’s not necessarily mine.”
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January 13, 2014 –
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) made the following statement:
“I think you have to continue to maintain that pressure. And I worry that … the Iranian regime, they think that they’re scoring points, they’re getting momentum. They look at the international stage and frankly look a lot better maybe than they did months ago because they have been engaged in negotiations and dialogue. So I worry that, over time, these sanctions, the current sanctions, have less significance.”
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U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) made the following statement:
“I don’t think the administration really would like for Congress to weigh in any regard on any issue relating to foreign policy, but Congress will weigh in on this. In the very near future there will be a markup on a bill that will give the Congress the ability to weigh in.”
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U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) made the following statement:
“We need a shift in policy to a clear-eyed and hard-nosed policy of strength based on America’s interests and the threat posed by Iran. The goal must be clear — regime change,” the Arkansas Republican said in a speech at The Heritage Foundation. “The United States should cease all appeasement, conciliation and concessions toward Iran, starting with these sham nuclear negotiations.”
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January 12, 2015 –
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) made the following statement on Twitter:
I agree with @AmbassadorPower, additional Iran sanctions now is not the solution to the nuclear issue.
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Editorials/Op-Eds
Will Iran Play Ball in Nuke Talks? – Robert Einhorn: January 14, 2015
“Negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program have become hostage to sharp internal divisions within Iran. Unless Supreme Leader Khamenei throws his weight behind the adjustments in Iran’s negotiating positions that are necessary to reach a compromise with the P5+1 countries, there will be no agreement.”
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Cuba, Iran — and Where Engagement Falls Short – Michael Singh: January 12, 2014
“As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama derided as “ridiculous” the idea “that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them.” Announcing his Cuba policy shift last month, Mr. Obama called the isolation of Havana an “outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests.” Indeed, diplomatic isolation — whether of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or other states — does not have a stellar track record of influencing truculent regimes.”
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Saving the Nuclear Deal With Iran – The New York Times Editorial Board: January 10, 2015
“Twice recently, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has acted boldly in support of his biggest political gamble, pursuit of a nuclear agreement with the major powers. In a speech last Sunday on Iran’s troubled economy, he argued that Iran will never enjoy sustained growth if it is isolated from the rest of the world. Three weeks earlier, he made clear that he would confront Iran’s hard-liners in his efforts to clinch a deal in which Iran would agree never to produce a nuclear weapon in return for the lifting of crippling international sanctions.”
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Avoiding Failure in the Iran Nuclear Talks – William Tobey & Robert Joseph: January 9, 2014
“The U.S. negotiating strategy in nuclear talks with Iran is failing. To date, these negotiations have focused almost solely on topics that Iran wants to talk about — how many thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges Tehran will continue to operate, and how soon sanctions will be lifted. This all but guarantees an outcome that will fail to block the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons at a time of its choosing.”
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Preventing Iranian Nukes Without Further Sanctions – Steve Sheffey: January 8, 2015
“The Republican Senate’s consideration of additional Iranian sanctions legislation stems from concerns about the absence of an acceptable agreement with Iran after all these months of negotiations, as well as fears that temporary extensions of limited sanctions relief have allowed the Iranian economy a chance to recover somewhat and has provided material encouragement to potential Iranian economic partners.”
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Responding to Iran’s Nuclear Gambit – Bloomberg View Editorial Board: January 7, 2015
“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has begun the new year by preparing his countrymen for the compromises Iran will need to make to strike a nuclear deal with the rest of the world. It was a significant step — and U.S. leaders should take advantage of it.”
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How the New GOP Congress Can Make a Good Iran Deal Possible – Matthew Kroenig: January 6, 2015
“As our lawmakers return from their winter recess, the Iran nuclear negotiations will be high on the foreign-policy agenda. The impetus in the new Republican-controlled Congress will be to immediately pass tough new sanctions legislation, but there is a better way to turn up the heat on Tehran while making it clear to everyone that the obstacle to a successful negotiated settlement is Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and not Republicans in Congress.”
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