Utah’s Mike Lee, Orrin Hatch sign GOP letter to Iran
Washington – 47 Republicans signed an open letter to the leaders of Iran, intended as a reminder that President Barack Obama’s term will end in two years and therefore, so could any agreement he reaches with said country.
Utah Senators Mike Leigh and Orrin Hatch were among those who signed the letter, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “I would describe this letter as a continuation of a partisan strategy to undermine the president’s ability to conduct foreign policy and advance our national security interests around the globe,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday.
President Obama expressed confusion but determination regarding the situation.
“I think it’s somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in Iran. It’s an unusual coalition. I think what we’re going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we can get a deal or not. And once we do — if we do — then we’ll be able to make the case to the American people, and I’m confident we’ll be able to implement it,” Obama said.
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The letter, written by freshman Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, is addressed to the “Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and begins by saying that the leaders may not “fully understand our constitutional system” and that Congress plays a significant role in ratifying international agreements.
“President Obama will leave office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office well beyond then – perhaps decades,” the letter says.
Any agreement between Iran and the Obama administration would be “nothing more than an executive agreement,” the letter stated, adding that, “The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”
Iran’s leaders have expressed a disregard for the letter.
“In our view, this letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy,” Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, said, as quoted by The New York Times. “It is very interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history.”
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said the letter was evidence “Republicans don’t know how to do anything other than attempt these seemingly juvenile political attacks against the president.”
