Secretary of State John Kerry’s remark earlier this week that “We’re not fixated on Iran specifically accounting for what they did at one point in time or another” has caused concern among lawmakers that the White House has stepped back from its previous demand that Iran must come clean about its past nuclear research, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
According to the Journal, Kerry called Sen. Lindsey Graham (R – S.C.) to reassure him that the administration’s position had not changed despite his comments.
“I’ve just got off the phone with him and he indicated to me that possible military dimensions of the program in terms of the Iranian past behavior is very much on the table and essential to any agreement,” Mr. Graham said on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon. “I can’t imagine any deal that doesn’t fully and completely answer every question about possible military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear program because if you don’t understand what they’ve done in the past, you don’t know where you are in terms of going forward. You can’t have a meaningful inspection regime until you understand what they’ve tried to do.”
However, despite the administration’s efforts to explain the remarks, another influential senator was not reassured.
“From day one, all involved have emphasized the significance of Iran providing a full accounting of its previous weaponization activities, and by not holding firm on this issue, it appears yet another redline will be crossed,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Mr. Corker is viewed as moderate by the White House and as someone the administration can work with to seal a deal, adding significance to his vocal concerns.
Corker oversaw the writing and passage of a bipartisan bill ensuring legislative oversight of any nuclear deal with Iran. The bill passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives by overwhelming margins, and was signed by President Barack Obama. Earlier this week, Corker wrote a letter to Obama lamenting the administration’s “breathtaking” retreats from positions it held in at the beginning of negotiations with Iran.
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