Congressional Republicans, poised to become the majority in both houses when the 114th Congress begins next week, plan to challenge what they regard as the Obama Administration's weak approach towards Iran,
Politico reports.
Sen. Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican who has played a leading role in pushing for sanctions legislation, said over the weekend that supporters may be able to attract enough Senate Democrats to garner 67 votes for sanctions — enough to override an Obama veto.
GOP lawmakers claim the president's conciliatory approach —
which has included sending letters to Iran's Supreme Leader assuring him that the United States has no interest in harming his regime — has emboldened the country's Islamist rulers to continue their illicit nuclear weapons programs and support for international terrorism.
Many Republicans contend that Washington’s Cuba turnaround has reinforced Tehran's view that continued intransigence will yield Western concessions. Since the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah, the Islamic Republic has insisted that confrontation is the only effective way to deal with the United States.
The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) — which has taken a lead role in pushing for stronger U.S. sanctions against Iran — notes that Iranian media organs have depicted Obama's decision to establish diplomatic relations with communist Cuba as evidence that intransigence works.
The
FDD quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham as stating that "the resistance and steadfastness" of the Castro regime "has shown that imposed policies of isolation and sanctions… are without result."
The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote on legislation that would impose additional economic penalties on Iran in the first few weeks of 2015, according to Republican senators and aides.
They say the starting point would be a bill written a year ago by Kirk and outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. Despite intense opposition from the White House, the Kirk-Menendez legislation managed to pick up support from 60 senators from both parties.
The Kirk-Menendez measure includes provisions toughening economic sanctions if Iran walks away from ongoing negotiations over nuclear enrichment or reneges on an interim agreement that has frozen some Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for a lifting of some U.S. sanctions.
Republican leaders have not yet finalized their legislative schedule, but the bipartisan measure is backed by incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his entire GOP leadership team.
"It’s an important issue, a priority, and has wide bipartisan support in the Senate," McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said.
A separate bill written by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham and incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker would require congressional approval of any final U.S.-Iran deal.
"You will see a very vigorous Congress when it comes to Iran. You will see a Congress making sure that sanctions are real and will be reimposed at the drop of a hat. You will see a Congress wanting to have any say about a final deal,"
Graham said at a joint press conference in Israel over the weekend with Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.