A bipartisan group of Congressional Republicans is pressing President Donald Trump to maintain a steadfast, hardline approach to Iran, advocating for the complete dismantling of the regime's nuclear enrichment capabilities.
This call comes in a letter that has garnered significant support from within the Republican party, according to Fox News.
The letter, signed by over 200 members of Congress, asserts that the US "cannot afford" another agreement akin to the 2015 nuclear deal under then-President Barack Obama, which they said "buys time" for Iran to covertly advance its nuclear ambitions. Lawmakers insist that Iran must entirely relinquish its uranium enrichment capacity, including for energy purposes.
Spearheaded by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and House Republican Study Committee Chair Representative August Pfluger (R-TX), the letter boasts the signatures of every GOP senator except Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and 177 Republican House members.
"The scope and breadth of Iran’s nuclear buildout have made it impossible to verify any new deal that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium," the letter states, adding, "The regime must give up any capacity for enrichment."
The lawmakers lauded Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during his first term, as well as his administration's "maximum pressure" campaign.
"We cannot afford another agreement that enables Iran to play for time, as the JCPOA did," the letter emphasizes. "The Iranian regime should know that the administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is permanently eliminated."
The letter further commends the administration's stance, saying, "You and your administration have therefore correctly drawn a red line against a deal that allows Iran to retain any enrichment capacity." It concludes by offering full Congressional support: "As always, we stand ready to provide you and your administration whatever resources you need to advance American national security interests."
The letter comes amid ongoing indirect talks between the US and Iran on a nuclear deal. Last week, before a fourth round of talks in Oman, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News that Trump’s approach to Iran has always been focused on preventing the country from advancing its nuclear enrichment program.
On Wednesday, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indicated Iran's readiness to sign a nuclear agreement with the United States, contingent upon the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions.
Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military, and nuclear advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, outlined Iran's proposed terms in an interview with NBC News, saying that Iran would commit to never developing nuclear weapons, eliminate its stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, restrict uranium enrichment to levels suitable for civilian use, and permit international inspections.
