49 of the 50 Republican US senators said on Monday they will not back an emerging new nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Reuters reports.
Citing press reports about a new deal, which has yet to be finalized, the lawmakers said in a statement that President Joe Biden's administration might reach a deal to weaken sanctions and lessen restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.
They pledged to do everything in their power to reverse an agreement that does not "completely block" Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon, constrain its ballistic missile program and "confront Iran's support for terrorism."
Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican member of the Senate who did not sign Monday's statement. In an emailed statement, he said, “Condemning a deal that is not yet formulated is akin to condemning diplomacy itself, not a very thoughtful position."
Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal it signed with world powers, in response to former US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018, but has held several rounds of indirect talks with the US on a return to the agreement.
There have been indications recently that a deal between Iran and world powers could be reached within days.
However, the talks were suspended on Friday and no timetable has been set for their resumption.
Last week, a bipartisan group of 21 Members of Congress, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Elaine Luria (VA-2), and Tom Reed (NY-23), urged the Biden administration to address concerns surrounding the looming agreement with Iran.
The lawmakers noted that, with reports indicating that the Vienna negotiations are nearing conclusion, there are several critical concerning issues that remain on the table — including the potential lifting of the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of sanctions placed on the Supreme Leader.
Last month, nearly 200 House Republicans wrote to Biden and warned that any nuclear deal made with Iran without Congress' approval "will meet the same fate" as the 2015 agreement.
"We will view any agreement reached in Vienna which is not submitted to the US Senate for ratification as a treaty — including any and all secret agreements made with Iran directly or on the sidelines of official talks — as non-binding," the GOP lawmakers wrote to Biden.