Republicans attack Obama administration, UN over Iran vote
Republican lawmakers in the US Senate have launched attacks both on the Obama administration and the United Nations over the upcoming vote on the Iran nuclear agreement, with Senator Marco Rubio saying America's security cannot be “outsourced” to the UN.
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The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on Monday morning on a resolution endorsing the conclusion of nuclear talks reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries on this week in Vienna.
Republicans are calling on President Barack Obama to delay the Security Council vote on the nuclear agreementuntil after Congress considers it.
They claim the Obama administration is set to bypass Congress by allowing the Security Council to approve a nuclear agreement that lawmakers have not reviewed it yet.
Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator John Thune, the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, have both called on the administration to hold off on the Security Council vote.
Thune argued that if Obama would not that, it show that “the president holds the opinion of the United Nations in higher esteem than the American people.”
Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz even threatened to block administration nominees and funding for the State Department unless the White House prevents the Security Council from voting on the nuclear agreement.
Senator Marco Rubio accused the administration of taking the accord to the UN first because President Obama knows Congress will vote against it.
“It’s a clear sign that he knows if this deal is reviewed closely by the American people, it will be rejected,” Rubio said.
“We cannot allow America's security to be outsourced to the United Nations,” he declared.
After more than two weeks of marathon talks, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries - the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany – announced the conclusion of nuclear negotiations in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 14.
According to the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran will be recognized by the United Nations as a nuclear power and will continue its uranium enrichment program.
Analysts say Republican candidates are opposing the nuclear agreement to avoid angering the pro-Israel lobby and preventing their Democratic rivals from getting any political advantage by resolving the Iranian nuclear issue.
