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Grave issues on Iran cited by 367 House members

Congress wants reassurances a bomb isn’t possible
President Barack Obama walks with House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny as they depart Capitol in Washington after a Friends of Ireland luncheon. Three-hundred and sixty-seven House members signed a letter to Obama citing concerns about Iran’s uranium-enrichment program and the negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A letter signed by 367 House members to President Barack Obama highlights what they describe as “grave and urgent issues” relating to negotiations to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The letter, dated March 20 and released Monday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cites concerns about the size of Iran’s uranium-enrichment program, its lack of cooperation with international inspectors and the need for an intrusive inspection regime.

In any agreement, “Congress must be convinced that its terms foreclose any pathway to a bomb, and only then will Congress be able to consider permanent sanctions relief,” according to the letter signed by 84 percent of House members.

“A final comprehensive nuclear agreement must constrain Iran’s nuclear infrastructure so that Iran has no pathway to a bomb, and that agreement must be long-lasting,” according to the letter.

Those signing the letter include such Republicans as Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and such Democrats as Steny Hoyer, the minority whip.

The lawmakers said they remain “hopeful that a diplomatic solution preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon may yet be reached,” and told Obama, “we want to work with you to assure such a result.”

Negotiators from the United States and five other nations are seeking to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful in exchange for relief from trade curbs that have squeezed the Islamic Republic’s economy.

Issues being discussed include the nuclear capacity Iran should be allowed to keep, the nature of inspections and the pace of relief from sanctions, especially on oil exports. As an end-of-March deadline for a framework agreement nears, leaders on each side sought to keep pressure on the other.

Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, declined to comment on the letter before Monday’s White House briefing. She referred to previous comments White House officials have made on the negotiations.

Obama has urged lawmakers to be patient as negotiators try to reach a deal with Iran and to hold off on taking other actions, including further sanctions, unless the talks fail.

The Obama administration has denounced a March 9 letter sent by 47 Republican U.S. senators to political leaders in Iran as an attempt to undermine the president on a foreign-policy matter for political purposes.



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