[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 2, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Mr. President, on another matter, we recently 
learned that Iran has balked at the prospect of direct nuclear 
negotiations with the United States and Europe. This sort of resistance 
and gamesmanship is nothing new. We have seen this before.
  Iran has long flouted international restrictions on its nuclear 
program, played hide-and-seek with U.N. inspectors, and failed to 
disclose the full scope of its nuclear research. This happened before, 
during, and after the Obama administration's Iran deal.
  Now, thanks to the firm approach taken by the Republican 
administration which restored much of the leverage President Obama had 
thrown away, President Biden inherited a much, much stronger 
negotiating position.
  Let me make it clear. Republicans do not oppose nuclear diplomacy. We 
hope the administration will secure a better, stronger, and more 
lasting deal than President Obama's, but to do so, President Biden's 
team must avoid the mistakes of the JCPOA.
  Here is how you do that: coordinate closely with the partners and 
allies who are most immediately threatened by Tehran; treat Congress as 
a partner to be consulted, not a problem to be managed; and, most 
importantly, don't give up any leverage for free.
  Of course the mullahs are playing coy. They want concessions before 
they even come to the table. In December, after President Biden was 
elected, Iran's Parliament reaffirmed their intent to continue acting 
out if sanctions were not eased.
  Well, I hope it is only the Iranians and not the administration's 
negotiators who need this reminder: Look, the United States holds all 
the cards. President Biden is the Commander in Chief of a superpower. 
There are no circumstances--none--in which Iran should get money for 
nothing. And there is no need to rush into the talks.
  The administration should take care not to squander our upper hand 
just to spite the last administration, nor should President Biden's 
team discount the value of the growing regional unity against Iran that 
is embodied in the new Abraham Accords.
  Every day, headlines remind the world of the threat Iran and its 
proxies pose to peace and security. For example, the Iranian 
journalist, Ruhollah Zam, was lured back to the region from Europe, 
kidnapped, and hanged after a sham trial just in December.
  The Lebanese activist, Lokman Slim, was an outspoken critic of 
Hezbollah until he was shot dead in his car.
  The regime has kept escalating its support of the Houthi rebels in 
Yemen, sending in deadlier, longer range weapons, and inciting 
terrorist threats.
  The Houthis have escalated attacks on Yemen's neighbors, including in 
civilian areas, and launched a military offensive that jeopardizes the 
peace negotiations being undertaken by U.N. Special Envoy Martin 
Griffiths.
  Just last week, an Israeli civilian shipping vessel pulled into port 
with gaping damage from a missile attack, and Tehran's pet militias in 
Iraq have fired rocket barrages against our own American diplomatic and 
military facilities. They are communicating to the Biden administration 
in the mullahs' preferred language: violence.
  Like I said over the weekend, President Biden is right to respond to 
this threat by authorizing strikes against targets belonging to Iranian 
proxy groups--the right decision--and he is right to recognize the need 
for new binding and enforceable constraints on Iran's nuclear 
capabilities, but, ultimately, we need a comprehensive approach to 
confronting Iran. It must be built on bipartisan foundations to endure 
for administrations and Congresses yet to come.
  To get there--to get there, the administration must continue to meet 
Iranian aggression from a position of strength and consult closely with 
Congress for the sake of our own security and that of our friends and 
partners in the Ayatollah's backyard.

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