News / Foreign Policy

White House slams GOP attempt to derail Iran talks

Monday, 09 March 2015 5:43 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 09 March 2015 6:49 PM ]

The White House on March 2, 2015 in Washington, DC.

The White House has denounced a letter by US Republican senators to undermine US President Barack Obama's efforts to reach an accord with Iran over its nuclear energy program.

In an open letter to Iran on Monday signed by some 47 Republican senators, the lawmakers warned Tehran that any deal signed by the Obama administration must be approved by Congress or it could be abandoned by next president after Obama leaves office in January 2017.

In a statement issued on Monday, the White House condemned Republican lawmakers over "throw[ing] sand in the gears" of the ongoing talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany, which have entered a sensitive final stage.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest called the Republican letter as "the continuation of a partisan strategy to undermine the president's ability to conduct foreign policy."

Earnest said the Republican-controlled Congress is not playing a "role that our Founding Fathers envisioned for Congress to play when it comes to foreign policy."

Iran and the P5+1 are holding negotiations to work out a final deal aimed at ending the longstanding standoff over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

The scale of Iran’s uranium enrichment and the timetable for the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions are seen as major sticking points in the talks.

The illegal sanctions on Iran have been imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Tehran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear program.

The Republican-dominated Congress is pushing a new round of sanctions on Iran. Obama has warned Congress not to impose more sanctions on Iran, saying he will veto any such move.

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