Republican lawmakers are venting their frustrations with Secretary of State John Kerry's admission that the U.S. government will continue nuclear negotiations with Iran until next June.
Members of the GOP are not happy with the Obama administration's decision to continue talks with what is essentially an enemy of the U.S. The discussions were extended late last year and again in July. The latest extension means the two countries will be in talks until next summer.
Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk was critical of the extension,
saying Monday, "We're definitely getting played by the Iranians."
In a statement posted on his website,
Kirk added, "Today's announcement means that the administration will continue to block sanctions and allow the terror-sponsoring Iranian regime to make $700 million a month — roughly $23 million per day — even as Iran advances its nuclear bomb-making program and sparks an arms race in the Middle East."
"Now more than ever, it's critical that Congress enacts sanctions that give Iran's mullahs no choice but to dismantle their illicit nuclear program and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency full and unfettered access to assure the international community's security."
There are questions as to whether Kerry's negotiating style is working, although he said
"real and substantial progress" was made in recent days. The extension of the talks means Iran can continue to enrich uranium, part of the process to make fuel for a nuclear weapon.
"Today's extension of the nuclear talks with Iran will extend last November's deeply flawed interim deal and a diplomatic process based on the dangerous Obama concession on uranium enrichment,"
wrote Fred Fleitz, who followed the Iranian nuclear program for the CIA, State Department, and House Intelligence Committee.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman
Ed Royce, meanwhile, said Congress needs to be told why the talks continue to stall.
"Seven months of more talks tells me that the negotiators aren't close to agreement," Royce said. "Unfortunately, time is on Tehran's side as it continues its research and development of centrifuges. Congress now must hear from administration officials as why this extension is justified."
Republican Bob Corker of Tennessee, a ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
had this to say about the extension:
"Since the beginning, I have been concerned about a series of rolling extensions becoming the norm and reducing our leverage. However, I would rather the administration continue to negotiate than agree to a bad deal that would only create more instability in the region and around the world.
"With so much riding on these talks for the security of our nation and that of the region, Congress must have the opportunity to weigh in before implementation of any final agreement and begin preparing alternatives, including tougher sanctions, should negotiations fail."
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