Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) on Tuesday warned that sanctions relief provided to Iran by the current interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA) had bolstered the Iranians’ negotiating position in nuclear talks with the West, and suggested that lawmakers in Washington would vote to boost the leverage of American negotiators in coming months. Casey’s remarks underscored longstanding concerns from Congressional lawmakers of both parties that the administration, which remains opposed to any such new legislation, nonetheless lacks sufficient leverage to extract meaningful concessions from Iran.
They also echo previous comments from other Democrats calling for increased pressure on Iran and increased Congressional oversight over the talks in general. Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) had in October blasted the administration in the aftermath of reports that administration was planning to circumvent Congress in securing a nuclear deal with Iran.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) last week told The Jerusalem Post that the Senate was eager to advance legislation that would boost Western leverage by signaling to Iran that, should it fail to accept a robust deal rolling back its nuclear program, it would face new financial restrictions. Graham signaled that a relevant bill would be moved through committee by the time President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address next week. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) more specifically told reporters last week that a 2013 sanctions bill coauthored with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), which had been co-sponsored by a majority of the Senate but had never been brought to the floor for a vote, would be reintroduced in an updated form during the coming weeks.