In response to reports that Iran and Russia may be closer to signing an oil-for-goods deal, Senator Bob Corker said the Obama administration must be prepared to restore all U.S. sanctions if Iran and Russia proceed with the scheme that would violate existing sanctions on Iran and undermine the interim agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.
“I strongly question how the administration could believe that negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program are in good faith when Russia, one of the parties at the table on the interim agreement, is undermining our efforts,” said Senator Corker. “Clearly, Iran and Russia are testing our resolve to enforce existing sanctions and the interim deal, so the administration must be prepared to restore all sanctions if Iran cheats. Congress must also be prepared to consider additional sanctions if Iran violates the Joint Plan of Action and ensure congressional approval for lifting more sanctions as part of any comprehensive deal.”
In November, Senator Corker introduced the Iran Nuclear Compliance Act of 2013 to keep the pressure on Iran during the negotiations and prevent an interim deal from becoming the final deal. The Corker legislation, consistent with Iran’s existing obligations under the U.N. Security Council, requires Iran to fully comply with any interim deal and meet a series of conditions for an acceptable final agreement before the president of the United States could waive additional sanctions. All sanctions would be restored in the event Iran violates the terms of the interim or final agreement.