Congressmen to Obama: Don’t bolster Iran

Senior Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to avoid bolstering Iran, but Obama has made clear he plans to facilitate further business investment in the Islamic Republic and has threatened to veto any bill demanding otherwise.

House Republican lawmakers are urging President Barack Obama to refrain from taking further action regarding the nuclear deal with Iran that could reinforce it before he leaves office in January.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce issued the request in a letter to Obama on Tuesday.

“We respectfully request that your administration take no further actions designed to bolster international investment in Iran,” the letter read.

Congress is expected to pass a bill extending Iran sanctions in the near future, while the House passed a similar bill last week. The lawmakers say signing the new bill should be Obama’s only further step on Iran.

They added that Obama should not waive further sanctions, grant new commerce licenses or issue new guidance to companies about doing business legally in Iran.

There were reports in recent days that Obama intends to take steps to further solidify the nuclear deal he pushed to have sign, in another attempt to preserve his foreign policy legacy.

The Obama administration is trying to “make it more difficult for the next administration to vigorously enforce or renegotiate the deal” by tolerating violations and approving more business deals with Iran, said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The lawmakers said President-elect Donald Trump should have the chance to assess US policy toward Iran and the nuclear deal, without Obama making it more complicated and decreasing his options.

Responding to their call, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said any decisions related to Iran would reflect “actions that have been in the pipeline for quite some time.”

By: World Israel News Staff
AP contributed to this report

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