Sen. Corker urges Kerry not to rush to a bad deal with Iran

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has urged US Secretary of State John Kerry to not rush to a bad nuclear deal in the negotiations with Iran.

Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, the Tennessee Republican suggested the Obama administration was desperate to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran to secure a foreign policy legacy for the president.

Corker said he told Kerry to “try to make sure that these last remaining red lines that haven’t been crossed — they’ve crossed so many — do not get crossed and, qualitatively, they don’t make it worse than where it already is.”

“I would just hope again that they would take their time and finish this in the best way that they can, even though we have already gone down a bad track,” he continued.

Representatives from Iran and the P5+1 – the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany – are engaged in intense negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (3rd L), British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (C) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) sit around the table at the Palais Coburg Hotel where the Iran nuclear talks meetings are being held in Vienna, Austria, on July 6, 2015. (AFP photo) 

The two sides have extended their self-imposed end-of-June deadline for a deal to July 7.

Corker said the nuclear talks have been “going on a negative trend for some time.”

A main concern, he said, was that “after 10 years, in essence, Iran is off and running again.”

Military action must remain on table

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, said the United States has already made too many concessions, including allowing Iran to keep its ballistic missile and uranium enrichment programs.

The threat of military action needs to remain on the table "if our diplomacy was going to be credible," Cotton said on ABC's "This Week."

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas (AFP photo) 

"We can destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and command-and-control facilities and all allies in the region wish we would take a forceful position because it would result in a better deal," he added.

On Sunday, Secretary Kerry said “genuine progress” has been made in the negotiations, but acknowledged that “we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues."

If a nuclear deal is sealed next week, attention in the United States will immediately turn to Congress, which will have 30 days to review and vote on the agreement.

If no agreement is sent to Congress by July 9, the review period will be extended to 60 days, a period that would coincide with congressional recess in August.

HRJ/HRJ


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku