WASHINGTON, November 13 (RIA Novosti) – Iran must commit to completely abandoning its nuclear program before the United States agrees to any deal that would provide sanctions relief, US Senators Robert Menendez and Mark Kirk have said in a joint statement.
"As co-authors of bipartisan sanctions laws that compelled Iran to the negotiating table, we believe that a good deal will dismantle, not just stall, Iran's illicit nuclear program and prevent Iran from ever becoming a threshold nuclear weapons state," the Senators said.
"Gradual sanctions relaxation would only occur if Iran strictly complied with all parts of the agreement. If a potential deal does not achieve these goals, we will work with our colleagues in Congress to act decisively, as we have in the past," the Senators concluded.
Menendez and Kirk called for stringent limits on Iran's nuclear-related research, development and procurement, full disclosure of all possible military dimensions and a robust inspection regime "to prevent Iran from breaking-out or covertly sneaking-out."
The Senators issued the statement in light of the ongoing P5+1 negotiations aimed at reducing the scope of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for removing sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy for the past two years.
The P5+1 group, which is comprised of Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Germany, set November 24 as the deadline for reaching a deal that would ensure Iran's nuclear program is restricted to peaceful applications.
