USA TODAY International Edition
Capital Download
U. S. should boost aid to Israel if Iran deal OK’d, Sen. Ben Cardin says.
WASHINGTON If the Iran nuclear accord goes into effect, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says the U. S. should and presumably would increase military aid to Israel and the friendly Gulf states pushing for the deal’s demise.
“Under any diplomatic solution, [ Iran] would be able to use their own resources without the current restrictions” as economic sanctions are lifted, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin told Capital Download. In consultations with the White House and Mideastern leaders, he said, “I think there is a general agreement that we must reinforce our commitment to the security of our friends.”
Cardin, a key voice in the emerging debate, says he hasn’t made up his mind whether to support the agreement. He is being lobbied by leaders on both sides, including a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposing it and a 90- minute session with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Tuesday addressing technical questions from Cardin and Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R- Tenn.
The committee opens hearings Thursday with testimony from Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Moniz. Congress, which has 60 days to review the deal, has the option of passing a resolution of approval or disapproval. The conventional wisdom is that Congress may well pass a resolution of disapproval — “This is a bad deal,” House Speaker John Boehner already has declared — although that would require 60 votes in the Senate. President Obama has vowed to veto the resolution, and the White House would need just 34 votes in the Senate to avoid an override.
The discussions underway about addressing concerns in Israel, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere if and when the accord goes into effect reflect a sense by some that the White House is likely to be able to sustain the president’s veto, if it comes to that.
Cardin is wrestling with his stance. “We can’t trust them,” he said of Iran. “I think the major concern is, what is their ultimate goal? ... Are they trying to figure out a way they can cheat?”
The Maryland senator also indicated on USA TODAY’s weekly video newsmaker series that some key questions about the accord had been answered to his satisfaction. He noted that Moniz expressed confidence that the 24day waiting period wouldn’t prevent inspectors from detecting if Iran was cheating.
“You can’t really try to secondguess” whether U. S. negotiators could have reached a better deal, he said. “The question is, is it good enough?”