Rubio, Scott, and Fellow Senators Seek Assurances Prior to Renegotiation of Iran Nuclear Deal

Florida Senators Marco Rubio(R) and Rick Scott(R) have jointly cosponsored a bill to prevent the renegotiation of the Iran Nuclear deal absent certain conditions. 

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) filed the original bill, called the Iran China Accountability Act. 

The act would halt any US initiatives towards renegotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran nuclear deal) or any similar agreements regarding Iran’s nuclear programs. 

Negotiations would be allowed to resume only if Iran terminates certain economic and security ties with China as well as with terrorist groups such as Hamas.

The bill alleges Iran and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have signed a 25-year, $400 billion strategic economic and security agreement to advance Chinese influence in the Middle East.

Additionally, the bill aims to leverage President Joe Biden’s interest towards renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal by also conditioning renegotiation on China ceasing its abuses of Uyghurs.

According to the bill’s authors, President Biden has been lackluster in his efforts to combat Human Rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region. 

Senator Rubio alleges Biden is refusing to “stand up to China” and adequately fulfill his responsibilities under the Uyghur Human Rights act. 

 

Iran would also have to prove its disarmament of all chemical weapons for US-led negotiations to resume. 

Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) also cosponsored the bill and described the Iran nuclear deal as having “emboldened and enriched” Iran while doing “nothing to deter Iran’s nuclear proliferation.” 

As stated by the bill, the Iran nuclear deal provided the Islamic Republic of Iran with more than $100,000,000,000 in sanctions relief. Since then, Iran has surreptitiously advanced its nuclear program, with the current stages of its nuclear development unknown.