‘US lawmakers concerned about Israel‘

A Republican lawmaker has called on Congress to do whatever it can to prevent an agreement between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear energy program in order to protect the “well-being” of Israel.

Louie Gohmert, a representative from Texas, said in a television interview on Friday,

“Nearly every senator, nearly every member of Congress is so concerned about the ongoing well-being of Israel, we need to defund any effort, make it illegal, to go further on this deal with Iran.”

On Friday, trilateral talks were held between representatives of Iran headed by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the US delegation headed by Secretary of State John Kerry, and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini accompanied by her deputy Helga Schmid in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

The talks are part of broader negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 countries – the US, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany – over Tehran's nuclear program.

Gohmert said that the Obama administration

“has already capitulated on almost every important term and now says they’re not going to require verification of what Iran has”.

“How could you ever have any kind of deal on nuclear talks if you can’t even find out where they are at any given time?”

he asked. “It’s just outrageous.”

On Wednesday, Kerry defended the US policy of continuing nuclear negotiations with Iran, saying if Washington walks away from the talks, the sanctions against the Islamic Republic will not hold.

Speaking to senior US diplomats in Washington, Kerry said,

“Anybody standing up in opposition to this [Iran talks] has an obligation to stand up and put a viable realistic alternative on the table. And I have yet to see anybody do that.”

The current talks are aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement on Iran’s nuclear program as a deadline slated for July 1 draws closer.