Republican senators are becoming increasingly restless as negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program continue past the March 31 deadline, saying the administration should walk away rather than risk allowing the delays to result in a bad deal.
The pace at which international sanctions would be scaled back and the future scope of Iran's nuclear research and development are the two ongoing points of contention.
"Another day likely equals another concession. It's time to walk away from the negotiating table and regain the upper hand," Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said, according to
Politico.
"The longer the Obama administration stays at the negotiating table with Iran, the more concessions it makes," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said, according to Politico. "Enough is enough. The Obama administration's bad deal is only getting worse with time."
Some GOP lawmakers have stopped short of calling for an end to talks but expressed their skepticism that the administration could broker a deal that would keep Iran's nuclear ambitions at bay.
"It is clear the negotiations are not going well. At every step, the Iranians appear intent on retaining the capacity to achieve a nuclear weapon. Without significant change, we have little confidence the negotiations will end well," Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona said in a joint statement.
Senate Democrats, by contrast, have remained relatively silent as the talks continue, possibly looking to avoid conflict between constituents who favor a hardline approach and the administration, Politico said.
"As long as there is good progress on these negotiations to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Congress should avoid unnecessary, provocative actions that would undermine them," New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, according to Politico.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy has also said he prefers to wait until negotiations are completed before taking action,
The Wall Street Journal reported.
"Congress clearly has an itchy trigger finger," Murphy said. "Many members of Congress are eager to weigh in before the negotiations are over."
But the delays have prompted some lawmakers to call for tough new sanctions.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested passing a bill that would institute sanctions in the event that a deal is not approved by July, while Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker has drafted another bill that would give Congress the power to approve, amend, or strike down any agreement.
Meanwhile, the White House has started discussing options in the event that the talks fail, according to the Journal.
Economic sanctions, military action, or an extension of the interim agreement with Iran that expires on June 30 are all possibilities.
"In the unfortunate circumstance that we could find ourselves in, which is that we're not able to reach an agreement, then the president will have to consider that range of options," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said, according to the Journal.
Earnest said that the president would liaise with the leaders of the other countries involved in the negotiations to determine the best way forward, the Journal said.
"What is clear is that Iran now, and over the course of talks that have lasted
over a year, has had every opportunity to make the kinds of commitments that the international community expects," Earnest said, according to
Politico.
In the event that talks collapse, both sides will be looking to prove that the other side is at fault, an arms control expert, Gary Samore, told Politico.
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