As the Obama administration is working toward a nuclear deal with Iran, Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, tells Newsmax that it is not necessary to enlist Iran's help to fight the Islamic State because we're not the ones who need it.
"The United States has done two things that weaken our negotiating position enormously," Dershowitz told John Bachman on "America's Forum" on
Newsmax TV Wednesday.
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"Number one, [the Obama administration] has basically [said] to Iran, 'Look, we need your help in fighting ISIS.' That's total nonsense," he contends.
"Iran needs our help in fighting ISIS," he said. "ISIS poses an enormous threat to the Iranian hegemony over that area."
"Iran, of course, is shia, ISIS is, of course, sunni, and Iran needs our help. And for us to be giving up anything in the nuclear negotiations ... to create better relations with Iran has it all backwards," he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Barack Obama sent a letter in October to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in which he said the battle against ISIS is a "shared fight," although the administration has said it has
no plans to coordinate with Iran in its fight against ISIS.
According to Dershowitz, "we should be demanding more from Iran in exchange for our helping them destroy ISIS."
"Number two, that absurd statement from the White House saying that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is bluffing on Iran strengthens Iran's bargaining position, particularly in relation to Europe," he explained.
"The reason the Europeans had sanctions is they were afraid that Israel might attack," he said.
The United States is currently engaged in negotiations with Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions, if international sanctions are eased.
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An Obama administration official recently said that Netanyahu, while he makes threats, is "scared to launch wars," going on to say that
he's "chicken***t." The White House has rejected the slur and Secretary of State John Kerry called it "damaging."
"The White House is essentially saying, 'Don't worry about Israel, it's a paper tiger, they're not going to attack,'" which, Dershowitz contends, has only served to strengthen Iran's position.
"That's why Congress has to come in and play a major role in these Iranian negotiations," he said.
According to the prolific author, "Congress can indicate that no matter what the president does, unless Congress approves, the sanctions will continue."
"It has to eliminate the president's power to get rid of the sanctions and in that way, participate in the process," he said.
"It can also say that a deal with Iran constitutes a treaty under the Constitution and treaties require the consent of the Senate," Dershowitz said, adding that while "that may be a stretch," Congress has the "constitutional authority" to act.
"What I'm worried about and what many are worried about is that Obama is just trying to kick the can down the road for two more years to make sure that Iran doesn't develop nuclear weapons on his watch," Dershowitz said.
"But [Obama] will allow it to become a threshold state, in which case President Obama, who I voted for twice, becomes [former British Prime Minister] Neville Chamberlain of the 21st century. [He becomes] the guy who enabled the greatest threat of the 21st century to obtain nuclear weapons, the way Chamberlain allowed Hitler, the greatest threat of the 20th century, to strengthen his power."
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