Kaine, Warner cautiously optimistic about nuclear deal with Iran
Sen. Timothy M. Kaine, D-Va., on Monday hailed the diplomatic breakthrough in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. But he also urged stakeholders to proceed with caution to prevent the escalation of a nuclear crisis in the Middle East.
“The framework that was announced Thursday is a framework, so there is a lot that has to be done to ... clarify some uncertainties” and reduce them to a verifiable deal, Kaine said in an interview in Richmond. “But I saw some very positive things in the deal.”
Last week, a group of world powers including the U.S. reached a first agreement with Iran in which the nations would reduce sanctions on Iran — in exchange for the country giving up its means to produce nuclear weapons.
President Barack Obama on Sunday said the deal could potentially bring stability to the Middle East.
While Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said he remains “hopeful we ultimately will see a tough, verifiable agreement” with “intrusive inspections, which will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.”
Republican members of Virginia’s congressional delegation were less optimistic.
“I have grave concerns about the preliminary agreement and about Iran’s commitment to compliance,” Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, said in an email. “Iran’s potential to gain nuclear capabilities is one of the gravest security threats facing our nation.”
Wittman pointed out that Congress has a critical oversight role in the discussions. “I am eager to pursue this role and engage the administration on this issue as the June 30 signing deadline approaches,” he said.
Kaine, who also stressed that Congress must review and affirm a final agreement because it involves congressional sanctions, criticized the lack of specifics on the timing and pace of the release of the sanctions.
“That’s going to be critical to Congress,” he said. “We need to let the negotiators do their best work over the course of the next 60 to 90 days to convert the framework into a deal. Then I deeply believe that Congress needs to have a role in sort of saying grace over a deal.”
But Kaine called the agreement’s provision forcing Iran to roll back the production of enriched uranium from 10,000 kilograms to 300 a “massive move.”
“At the end of the day, you are not dropping centrifuges on people. If you want to have a weapons program, you are dropping a bomb with enriched uranium,” he said.
But Kaine said a failure of the deal could have dire consequences. “We could take a step back to the status quo (of) heavy sanctions and nuclear acceleration, (or) we could live in this kind of middle position where we are in an interim phase while we look for a deal.”
At worst, more sanctions could accelerate Iran’s nuclear ambitions and lead to a nuclear arms race in the region, Kaine said.
“You could see even more catastrophic consequences as Iran races to a nuclear program, (and) we certainly have evidence to suggest that nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and possibly even Egypt could try to procure nuclear weapons.”
That is why curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions with a “practical and realistic diplomatic solution would be such a good thing,” Kaine said.
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