United States President Barack Obama sent on Sunday a landmark deal on Iranian nuclear energy to Congress for approval, but the country’s key ally in the region, Israel, is stillresolutelyagainst the agreement made between Iran and a group of six powerful nations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.S. lawmakers to reject the deal during a televised interview with U.S. network CBS, claiming the agreement would strengthen Iran's “terror machine.”
“I think the right thing to do is merely not to go ahead with this deal,” Netanyahu said, in his latest attempt to persuade U.S. politicians to rebuff the agreement.
Capitol Hill will now have 60 days to review the deal and to vote on it. Many Republicans have sided with Netanyahu and have vowed to stop the agreement from passing, however, President Obama has threatened to use his veto power if the GOP uses its majority to block the deal.
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“I am confident that this deal will meet the national security needs of the United States and our allies, so I will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal,” said Obama last week, during a televised address to the nation.
The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani published a series of messages on his Twitter account, reporting the various expressions of support that the nuclear deal has received from world leaders. He also reiterated that his country is not seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction, which has been Israel’s consistent accusation.
We do not seek #WMDs, nor exerting pressure on regional states. We call for greater brotherhood, unity and further expansion of ties.
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani)
julio 14, 2015
The agreement establishes a series of limitations and conditions to monitor Iran's development of a nuclear energy program in order to ensure that the country does not acquire nuclear weapons. At the same time, it eases decade-long sanctions imposed on the Persian nation.
The deal has been negotiated for over 10 years, and it has been greeted by Europe, which is now moving towards re-building political and economic ties with Iran.
In a first concrete sign of such initiative, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited Tehran with an economic delegation on Sunday.
After decades of sanctions, Iran possesses a large stock of oil, which it has not been able to sell in the global market, making it an attractive potential for the West.