In addition to Kerry and Carter, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Those who oppose the deal say that in exchange for the sanctions relief for Iran, the Middle Eastern country will end up bringing in billions of dollars that it can use to fund terrorism. The representatives had to leave to vote at the Capitol, but some were returning in the evening for a question-and-answer session.
Vice President Joe Biden held a working breakfast Thursday morning with members of the House Democratic Caucus.
“But we continue to strengthen execution”, Carter said. Joni Ernst. “I can tell you that we have a range of options and I always present them”. “Temporary as it is, it needs to be there because that’s our fall back”. “I have every confidence a better deal can be realized”.
The video by the anti-nuclear group Global Zero takes a light-hearted tone, far from the jibes, and insults thrown in Congress between Obama administration officials and Republicans who are skeptical of the deal.
Earlier in the week, the White House won the backing of Democratic Rep. Sander Levin, a Jewish lawmaker from Michigan.
That contrasts with some major polls in recent weeks that showed most Americans supportive of the agreement.
“He (Obama) asked for the meeting”. He called on the administration to guarantee enduring sanctions on the person responsible for the creation of the weapon that he said has killed at least 500 Americans. “He’s a very persuasive person and he knows his subject so I have to assume that if minds are open, some will be affected”.
“In my view, the document should me made available to demonstrate the credibility of the verification efforts”, Heinonen said. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he is leaning toward supporting the deal. Now, let me just make it crystal clear to you.
Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Illinois, hasn’t decided either.
“The negotiating deal does not alleviate our concerns in those five areas”, he said, “[or] change the military options at our disposal.
“The red flags that would go off – the bells and whistles that would start chiming – as a result of any movement away from what they have to do” under the agreement, Kerry said.
Sen. John McCain, the committee chairman, rejected those arguments.
IAEA officials told them, that the details were all covered in agreements negotiated between the IAEA and the Iranian government.
Kerry said there is no side deal or secret agreements between Iran and the worldwide Atomic Energy Agency.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has criticized the accord, reiterated his demand that the Obama administration turn over documents related to agreements between the IAEA and Iran that he described as “side agreements”.
Kerry warned the committee members against nixing the deal, insisting that it includes strict inspections and other safeguards to deter Tehran from cheating. “And in the absence of your voices, you are going to see the same array of forces that got us into the Iraq War, leading to a situation in which we forgo a historic opportunity and we are back on the path of potential military conflict”.
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“Broadly, the action would create distance between the US and the world and diminish distance between Iran and the world“, Dr. Alterman added, “after more than a decade when the reverse was the case”.
