BICOM

US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared unable to persuade US senators yesterday to pledge not to vote for further sanctions against Iran, in light of the ongoing talks between the P5+1 powers (US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany) and Tehran.

Iranian and P5+1 representatives meet again on 20 November after failing to finalise an interim agreement regarding Tehran’s nuclear development during negotiations in Geneva last week. Kerry is keen to ensure that senators sceptical of the deal being discussed will not impose further sanctions on Iran, which he believes could scupper negotiations. Kerry and US Vice-President Joe Biden were despatched yesterday to make the case to the Senate Banking Committee, a key body in sanctions legislation.

As senators filed out of the closed-door briefing, several expressed disappointment with what Kerry had to say. Committee chairman Sen. Bob Corker told the news site BuzzFeed that Kerry had made an “emotional appeal” but “I have to tell you I was very disappointed in the presentation.” Corker said that he was “stunned” by the “lack of specificity” detailed by Kerry regarding the deal being discussed. Sen. Mark Kirk was similarly sceptical, calling Kerry’s presentation “very unconvincing,” commenting “I was supposed to disbelieve everything the Israelis had just told me,” about the consequences of an interim deal. However, Democratic senator Joe Manchin expressed support for Kerry, saying “I have trust and faith in Secretary Kerry’s ability and his intentions.”

Kerry himself told reporters after the meeting, “Our hope is that no new sanctions would be put in place for the simple reason that… It could destroy the ability to be able to get agreement.”  Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in support of continued sanctions against Iran, telling the Knesset yesterday, “There are not just two possibilities on the Iranian issue: A bad deal – or war… There is a third possibility – and that is continuing the pressure of sanctions.”