Iran International
Washington must maintain pressure to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons, backing further sanctions and potential military action against the Islamic Republic, two US senators told Iran International.
“I support making sure the Iranian regime never becomes a nuclear power,” Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said.
“It’s unfortunate they continue to pursue a nuclear weapons program. I don’t think they’ve ever stopped.”
Speaking separately on Capitol Hill, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho said, “Obviously, the program has been decimated. People say it’s just a setback, but substantial damage has been done — much more than has been publicly reported.”
He was referring to the impacts of US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear infrastructure in recent months.
Risch, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, added that any renewed effort by Tehran to produce a bomb would provoke further action.
“If the regime tries to build a nuclear weapon, the same thing is going to happen again,” he said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu has said so. President Trump has said so. And they mean it.”
Both senators expressed confidence that continued Western pressure, especially from Israel and the United States, would keep Iran from crossing the nuclear threshold.
Asked about recent reports that President Donald Trump’s campaign raised millions in donations following an alleged Iranian-linked plot to assassinate him, Risch underlined a distinction between Iran’s rulers and its people.
“Anything the regime does, we don’t ascribe to the Iranian people,” he said. “We know they’re good people who want to be free.”
Senator Johnson also welcomed reports that France and Germany are now backing a snapback of UN sanctions against Iran.
The snapback, created under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, lets any party to the 2015 nuclear deal restore UN sanctions if Iran is found non-compliant. If no resolution is passed within 30 days to extend sanctions relief, all previous measures return automatically.
Israeli air strikes and drone attacks during the 12-day war killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes also killed 27 Israelis.
On June 22, the United States joined the war by striking Iran’s nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow using long-range bombers and submarine-launched missiles.
A US-brokered ceasefire was announced on June 24 between Iran and Israel after Tehran launched a retaliatory airstrike against a US airbase in Qatar.
