U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Monday he supports the international agreement designed to block Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon, saying that “despite the partisan rancor in Washington, the vast majority of experts believe this is a worthy deal.”
Schatz is the first member of the Hawaii delegation to take a firm position on the agreement, with U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Mark Takai all saying they are still reviewing the plan or consulting with experts.
The agreement was negotiated to halt Iran’s progress toward developing nuclear weapons in exchange for relaxing international sanctions against Iran, and the administration of President Barack Obama has mobilized to try to persuade Congress to support it.
Obama warned last week the only alternative to the Iran agreement is “some form of war,” but the deal with Iran faces strong opposition from Republicans in both the House and Senate. It has also been furiously opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Schatz said in a prepared statement he agrees with the president that if the Iran deal is blocked and diplomacy fails, the United States at some point will be required to “seriously consider” military action to block Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon.
“While there are legitimate concerns about the agreement, we must remember this plain fact: there is no other alternative that achieves these results,” Schatz said in his statement. “We do not have the luxury of being able to pick this deal apart. The United States negotiated this deal with the other major world powers; and if we walk away now, the multilateral sanctions that the United States helped put in place to bring Iran to the negotiating table will certainly crumble.”
He also argued that a “vast majority of experts” support the deal, including Ambassador Nicholas Burns, who served in the George W. Bush administration and managed Iranian nuclear affairs, as well as former Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Richard Lugar and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
“Iran must never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and that is why I support this agreement,” Schatz said. “This is the best possible way to deny Iran from acquiring the bomb. It is what is best for the United States, Israel, and peace in the region.”
Schatz’s position on the Iran agreement could alienate some of his supporters and campaign contributors. A Star-Advertiser analysis of federal campaign data from 2013-2015 found that Schatz received at least $121,100 from groups that identify themselves as pro-Israeli. However, the bulk of those contributions — about $89,000 — came from JStreetPAC, a group that supports the Iran deal.
Congress has 60 days to consider the agreement and is expected to consider a resolution in September disapproving the deal. If such a resolution passes in the Republican-controlled House and Senate, Obama certainly will veto it. Opponents of the Iran deal would then have to muster a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to override that veto and block the agreement.
The lobbying scrum over the Iran agreement promises to be intense. The Washington Post reports the organization American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, spent an unprecedented $1.67 million in the first half of 2015 lobbying Congress in connection with the Iran deal, which AIPAC strongly opposes.
The Post also reports AIPAC is directing money to support a new organization called Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran, which is expected to spend tens of millions of dollars on public campaigns in as many as 40 states to get opponents of the Iran deal to pressure their representatives in Congress.
A nonprofit affiliate of AIPAC called American Israel Education Foundation also reached out to House lawmakers by taking 36 Republicans and 22 Democrats on a trip to Israel last week.
Among those lawmakers traveling was Takai, D-Urban Honolulu. Takai said in a statement before leaving that the trip “will serve as a venue to communicate with our partners and allies on how to improve long-term security in the region.”
“Throughout this trip, I look forward to engaging on many issues that are at the forefront in Congress, including the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Israel-Palestinian peace process, cooperation from our partners in the Gulf region, and how to best build a security architecture that ensures a lasting peace in the region,” Takai said.
The foundation sponsors the travel every two years for freshman House members, and the Post reported that an AIPAC official said no lobbying of lawmakers would take place on the trip.
Gabbard, a Democrat who represents rural Oahu and the neighbor islands, and her sister, Davan, were hosted by the American Israel Education Foundation on a similar informational trip to Israel in 2013. Former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa also visited Israel on the same 2013 trip the Gabbards took.
