Obama slams Republicans' letter on Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 10, IRNA -- The US President Barack Obama showed a harsh response to the letter by 47 Republican senators on a probable nuclear deal between Iran and the 5+1.

'I think what we're going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we're going to get a deal or not. Once we do, if we do, we'll be able to make the case to the American people, and I'm confident we'll be able to implement it,' according to the CNN, Obma said.

The TV news channel pointed out that "nearly every Senate Republican has signed on to an open letter to Iran's leaders warning that without their approval, any Iran nuclear deal signed by Obama will be null and void after he leaves office."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday poured scorn on the recent letter of 47 US Senators that said they will restric validity of any nuclear deal to the end of President Obama's tenure.

"In our view, this letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy," he said.

Zarif expressed astonishment that some members of US Congress find it appropriate to write to leaders of another country against their own President and administration.

He pointed out that from reading the open letter, it seems that the authors not only do not understand international law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.

"It is very interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history. This indicates that like Netanyahu, who considers peace as an existential threat, some are opposed to any agreement, regardless of its content," he added.

Zarif expressed the hope that his comments "may enrich the knowledge of the authors to recognize that according to international law, Congress may not 'modify the terms of the agreement at any time' as they claim, and if that Congress would adopt any measure to impede its implementation, it will have committed a material breach of US obligations."

Zarif concluded stating that "the Islamic Republic of Iran has entered these negotiations in good faith and with the political will to reach an agreement, and it is imperative for our counterparts to prove similar good faith and political will in order to make an agreement possible."

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