Senator Bob Menendez Opposes Iran Deal

Critically, it lifts punishing economic sanctions on Iran “in exchange for only temporary limitations on its nuclear program – not a rolling back, not a dismantling”, Menendez said.

The New Jersey senator said the deal will leave Iran “flush with money” after alleviating sanctions, something the country could use “to further pursue their destabilizing hegemonic goals in the region”.

Menendez also said the deal will end up “preserving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, not diminishing it, and its pathway towards a nuclear weapon is more guaranteed as a result of it at a time of their choosing”.

If Congress rejects the deal with Iran, Corker said, a new deal should be negotiated that dismantles more of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Gillibrand said if the U.S. steps away from the deal, hardliners in Iran will say the U.S. was never honest and may reject additional negotiations.

Cohen said that his decision came from close scrutiny of the agreement, “careful consideration and countless classified briefings”, meetings with worldwide Atomic Energy Agency officials and listening to “hundreds of constituents” who oppose and support the accord.

Menendez said the agreement does not provide for sufficient inspections of Iran’s nuclear or military sites nor destroy any centrifuges capable of separating the explosive uranium 235 isotope from uranium ore. “I have raised this issue repeatedly as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and I will continue to do so until we see action”. Success in either chamber will ensure the deal survives.

Before Menendez, Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced his opposition to the deal last week. Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate and the party leader-in-waiting, is the only other notable Democratic defection.

The word “liberal” has been omitted from media headlines, creating the impression that Jewish religious authorities support President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, against a plurality of American Jews and the overwhelming majority of Israeli Jews.

The White House needs 34 pro-deal senators in order to sustain the president’s veto of any disapproval resolution to kill the Iran agreement.

The announcements are all the more important because some of the support was unexpected coming from key lawmakers who were being considered truly undecided since the deal was announced.

In Monday’s letter, organized by the progressive group Ameinu, the rabbis said they believe the agreement “blocks Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon”, but expressed concern about Iran’s “support for terror” and asks that the worldwide community “dedicate additional resources to confront Iranian threats to Israel and other states”.