US Senators urge Obama to maintain pressure on Iran

Top US Senators called on President Barack Obama to reiterate his commitment to not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and demand verifiable action before any diplomatic accord.
"We urge you to re-state the United States position that we will not permit Iran to achieve a nuclear weapons capability and demand verifiable action from Iran that will permit the possibility of a diplomatic accord with the international community," Senators Lindsay Graham and Robert Menendez wrote in a letter to Obama yesterday.
"Like you, we viewed the election of Hassan Rouhani as an indicator of discontent amongst the Iranian people and we have taken note of recent diplomatic overtures by Iran. However, whatever nice words we may hear from (the Iranian President) Mr. Rouhani, it is Iranian action that matters. We would welcome a credible and verifiable agreement with Iran," the Senators wrote.

Obama and his Iranian counterpart are scheduled to address the UN General Assembly today.
Meanwhile, in a major breakthrough, foreign ministers of US and Iran will hold talks on Tehran's controversial nuclear drive at a landmark meeting on Thursday -- the first between the two states in more than 30 years.
Earlier, Rouhani had urged the West to interact with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, denouncing sanctions as "unacceptable" as he left for New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

"The national security implications of a nuclear Iran are unimaginable -- threatening the very existence of our ally the State of Israel, as well as launching an all but certain nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world," the Senators wrote.

Senator Charles Schumer and John McCain urged Obama to keep in place tough sanctions that have punished Iran for their pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Schumer and McCain said the Iranians are only expressing openness to diplomacy because they have been compelled by the crippling consequences of the sanctions.
"We respectfully urge that any diplomatic outreach to Iran reemphasise that the United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons capability and that any relief from crippling economic sanctions on Iran will only be provided if Iran takes meaningful and verifiable actions to halt its nuclear activities," the Senators wrote.

"Over the past several years, an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress has worked with your administration to put in place the most rigorous sanctions on Iran. These measures have had an overwhelming impact on the Iranian economy, causing a sharp drop in the value of Iran's currency and crippling key sectors of its economy, such as energy, banking and shipping," the letter said.
Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki hoped that the new Iranian government will engage substantively with the international community to reach a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program and to cooperate fully with the IAEA in its investigation.

"We remain ready to work with Iran should the Rouhani administration choose to engage seriously," she said.