Diplomacy Essential Approach to Make Peace with Iran, US Senator Says

“We have to negotiate with Iran. I think we (should) go as far as we possibly can in trying to give peace a chance if you like,” independent Senator Bernie Sanders said, The Hill reported on Monday. 

The 2016 White House hopeful also said that the sole alternative after rejection of the accord would be “war”, and noted, “I believe that we have got to go through every possible effort in order to make sure that we achieve that goal of Iran not having a nuclear weapon without going to war.” 

Additionally, Samuel Berger, a former US national security official, wrote in an article on August 9, “The agreement (July 14 conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers) needs to be judged on its merits and the consequences of rejecting it need to be confronted without the illusion that there will be another, easier chance. Opponents cannot escape through a trapped door marked later. There is no later, this is the end of the line.”

Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14 reached a conclusion on a lasting nuclear agreement that would terminate all sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear energy program after coming into force.

The 159-page deal has its own opponents and proponents both in Iran and the other countries that are parties to the JCPOA, particularly the US.

While the United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution to endorse the deal, the text of the document needs to be ratified by both Iran's Parliament and the US Congress.

Congress is expected to vote in September on a measure disapproving the accord, which Obama has promised a swift veto. Lawmakers would then have to find enough votes to override the president.