US Secretary of State John Kerry revealed Tuesday that violations by Iran of the arms embargo in place by the nuclear deal will not trigger automatic “snapback” of UN sanctions.
“The arms embargo is not tied to snapback,” Kerry stated. “It is tied to a separate set of obligations. So they are not in material breach of the nuclear agreement for violating the arms piece of it.”
Kerry said the US and its allies have “ample tools at our disposal” should Iran violate the arms embargo and missile sanctions.
Kerry, who was speaking at the Reuters Newsmaker conference, warned that allied confidence in US leadership would fall should US lawmakers not approve the agreement. He further cautioned the collapse of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.
“If we turn about and nix the deal and then tell them, ‘You’re going to have to obey our rules and sanctions anyway,’ that is a recipe, very quickly…for the American dollar to cease to be the reserve currency of the world,” the secretary stated.
With just over a month remaining for Congress to vote on the Iran deal, US lawmakers are coming under considerable pressure and threat by the Obama administration to pass the accord.
Republican Senator John McCain (AZ) believes that a majority of senators will vote to oppose the deal. “I am confident we’re gonna get to 60,” he said this week, referring to the majority number of votes needed (out of 100) to squash the deal.
McCain did acknowledge that getting a two-thirds majority (67 senators) to block a presidential veto would prove more difficult. “The key will be the override of the presidential veto. That’s where we gotta get 13 Democrats,” he said.
On Tuesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hosted a delegation of Republican members of Congress visiting Jerusalem. “Along with Israelis on all sides of the political spectrum, I am deeply concerned about the recent nuclear deal signed with Iran,” he said.
“Whatever Congress decides, it will be your decision as representatives of the American people,” he continued. “We, as your allies and partners, must make sure that whatever the result of this vote, our strategic alliance stands and grows even stronger.”
