Over 100 Republican members of Congress have called on the Biden administration to end nuclear talks with Iran, according to a letter addressed on Wednesday to the State Department.
The letter – signed by 110 GOP lawmakers – described the negotiations with Iran as “fruitless” and instead called upon the White House to enforce existing sanctions against Iran, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
"We write to urge you to immediately withdraw from the fruitless Vienna talks to re-enter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and instead strongly enforce existing sanctions against Iran, particularly with respect to the oil trade between Iran and the People's Republic of China," the letter said.
The lead signatory on the letter was House Foreign Affairs ranking member Michael McCaul (R-TX). It was co-singed by the other 109 Congressional Republicans.
"Further delay of action on this only further enables Iran's malign activities, including their aggressive nuclear pursuits,” the letter added.
The Republicans noted that even while diplomatic overtures are resuming after months of stalling on Iran’s part, the Islamic Republic has continued to expand its nuclear program, specifically the enrichment of uranium, which could be used for a nuclear bomb.
With senior White House officials admitting in the last several weeks that Iran is delaying negotiations in order to buy time to develop its nuclear capabilities, the letter stressed that “Iran is charging forward with its nuclear program, using advanced centrifuges and producing equipment for such centrifuges while stockpiling increasing quantities of uranium enriched at 20 percent and 60 percent purity.”
"Iran also continues to gain irreversible knowledge through this nuclear work. While the Administration has consistently indicated a willingness to negotiate toward a return to the JCPOA, Iran has made a return even less valuable for the [international community] as it makes greater nuclear gains and gets closer to the deal's sunsets."
Highlighting Iran’s refusal to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA inspections), the letter charged that Iran’s stalling is "further diminishing the world’s visibility on Iran's nuclear program.”
It also criticized the fact that Iran has been sending shipment of oil to China, undermining sanctions on its oil program, accusing the Biden administration of not enforcing existing sanctions.
"Reports in November showed that [China] continued to import an average of over half a million barrels of Iranian oil per day," said the letter. "It is well past time for the Administration to end these farcical negotiations and fully enforce our existing sanctions to slash this vital source of revenue for the Iranian regime."