Itongadol/AJN.- Pushback against White House during Senate hearing on Iran as senators say Tehran still conducting nuclear research during negotiations; chief negotiator Sherman says coming months will be test for the Islamic Republic.
In a Senate hearing on negotiations with Iran on Tuesday, Foreign Relations Committee chairman Robert Menendez challenged US President Barack Obama on the weight of his vow to seek new sanctions against Iran should talks over its nuclear program fail.
Questioning Wendy Sherman, the chief US negotiator with Iran, Menendez (D-NJ) noted that Iran\’s continued nuclear-related research and development would shorten the window of time required by the Islamic Republic to produce a nuclear weapon— even as negotiations take place.
"In reality, the only effect we have is over time," Menendez said. "To enforce sanctions then would be far beyond the scope or the window."
"It\’s not simply about passing sanctions," Menendez added. "It\’s about the timeframe necessary to have them be effective."
In his fifth State of the Union address, the president said he would be the first man in Washington to call for new sanctions if Iran fails to agree to a comprehensive nuclear accord satisfactory to the US and its allies.
In the same speech, he promised to veto any new sanctions legislation that might compromise the diplomatic process. Menendez introduced just such a bill in December that he described as an "insurance policy" for Congress. That bill has earned 59 cosponsors across party lines.
Midway through the hearing, Menendez pushed back against the Obama administration for referring to his strategy as tantamount to a "march to war," a phrase stated multiple times by Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, after the bill\’s rollout.
"I don\’t believe any of you, any senator, any member of the House are warmongers. I don\’t believe anyone prefers war," Sherman agreed. "Tactical considerations may lead us to that choice. But that is an issue of tactics, not an issue of intent."