Headed by Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Elaine Luria of Virginia, the group of 18 Democrats, insist the U.S. should not enter into a deal with Iran that permits its terrorist activities to go unchecked and fails to prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. “We understand that while the recent negotiations have not concluded, we feel that we can’t stay quiet about the unacceptable and deeply troubling turn that these talks have reportedly taken,” Luria stated at a news conference Wednesday with fellow Democrats.
In Vienna, negotiations have been ongoing for the U.S. to rejoin the international deal that former President Trump pulled out of in 2018. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China still remain part of the deal with Iran and have been trying to salvage it. For the last month, there have been reports that negotiators are close to an agreement, which has created a sense of urgency among the Democrats to speak out.
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One primary concern for the lawmakers is the prospect that the U.S. could agree to Iran’s demand that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would no longer be designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). An additional concern is Russia’s reported role in brokering and enforcing a potential deal.
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“Are we seriously going to let a war criminal, Vladimir Putin, be the guarantor of this deal?” Gottheimer demanded. Democrats want to send the message to the Biden Administration that: “We need a longer and stronger deal, not one that is shorter and weaker. It’s time to stand strong against terrorists, protect American values and our allies,” Gottheimer noted.
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Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., argued the Biden Administration had kept Congress in the “dark,” and the way the secret talks have gone reminds him of the original 2015 deal.
“It’s a little bit like last time. They keep us in the dark. Then … it turns out there are some fatal flaws,” he said. “It was a bad deal then, and it’s a bad deal now,” Vargas continued.
Luria told reporters that the 18 members that banded together on Wednesday have various degrees of apprehension about the deal — ranging from concern to outright opposition. They want firm assurance that they will have an opportunity to vote on a new Iran deal.
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