A bipartisan group of 71 House members in a letter to President Barack Obama said they back diplomacy as the means to bring about Iranian nuclear transparency.
“We are aware of the possibility that the Iranian regime is simply ‘buying time’ to further its nuclear ambitions, but we believe that Iran’s declared openness to multilateral discussions — coupled with verifiable intermediate steps to bring its program toward compliance with international obligations — is sufficient to warrant renewed determination,” reads the letter sent May 29, initiated by Reps. David Dreier (R-Calif.) and David Price (D-N.C.)
Israeli leaders, who have pressed the Obama administration to consider a military option by Israel or the United States, and sooner rather than later, have accused Iran of “buying time” with the talks.
The latest round of talks just concluded in Baghdad.
The letter does not count out a military option, but its emphasis on diplomacy is significant because others in Congress are pressing Obama to adopt Israel’s “red line” for possible military action — the capability of making a nuclear bomb. The U.S. red line for years has been the acquisition of a nuclear weapon. — jta