Because of the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine and the very real possibility that the latter might be invaded in the very near future, on Thursday, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said that his Senate colleagues are “not currently focused on the Iranian nuclear threat and the ongoing negotiations in Vienna” as he addressed an audience of AIPAC members, according to a
JewishInsider.com report.
In an interview published on AIPAC’s app, Menendez (who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) said that his contemporaries in the US Senate are totally focused on the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and that nuclear talks with Iran are not receiving the gravitas it deserves.
Speaking on the Senate floor earlier this month, Menendez said, “As someone who has followed Iran’s nuclear ambition for the better part of three decades, I am here today to raise concerns about the current round of negotiations over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Iran’s dangerously and rapidly escalating nuclear program that has put it on the brink of having enough material for a nuclear weapon,” according to a report on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations website.
The report indicated that Menendez was making an impassioned pitch for the Biden administration and our allies to exert more pressure on Iran to counter its nuclear program, its missile program, and its dangerous behavior around the Middle East.
“I have been cautiously optimistic about the Biden administration’s initial efforts. I waited for the last year to see results. Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Secretary of State and others, senior members of the Administration, insisted they would look for a ‘longer and stronger’ agreement. I have a pretty good sense of what I think ‘longer’ and ‘stronger’ means, said Menendez.
He continued: ‘Longer’ is obvious, more time. ‘Stronger’ – dealing with elements that had not been previously dealt with. However, a year later, I have yet to hear any parameters of ‘longer’ or ‘stronger’ terms or whether that is even a feasible prospect. And even when it seemed a constructive agreement might be possible last summer, upon taking office, the Raisi government abandoned all previous understandings and, as I mentioned, made absolutely clear that Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional proxy networks are ‘not negotiable.’ Moreover, at this point, we seriously have to ask what exactly are we trying to salvage?, “ according to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee website.
The Jewish Insider reported that Menendez said on Thursday, “I’m not sure that my colleagues are as fully immersed on the challenges of Iran as we speak, as I would like them to be. I wanted to rivet the attention of my colleagues — and for that fact also send a message to the administration and our allies abroad… about what is and is not ultimately going to pass muster here. What can get support, but what cannot get support.”
“The Ayatollah and the Iranians are looking as well and saying, ‘Is the West going to do the same thing again?’” Menendez said, according to the Jewish Insider report. “Beyond the fact of the immediacy of the issue, how we respond to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin if he invades will be critically important not just for Ukraine’s future and for the future of Eastern Europe… but also for a global message that when you violate the international order, there are real consequences.”