May 1, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Menendez on Iran: "No deal is better than a bad deal"

Julia Shapero

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) questions U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on March 3, 2022 in Washington, DC. Photo: Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Sunday said he's doubtful negotiations to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will prove successful.

Why it matters: An agreement between the U.S. and Iran appeared imminent in early March. But negotiations have since reached a stalemate over the U.S.'s refusal to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian military, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations, according to Politico.

What he's saying: Menendez told "Fox News Sunday" it may not be worth rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the Iran nuclear deal is formally known, without other elements. Menendez opposed joining the JCPOA in 2015.

"I want the administration to understand that no deal is better than a bad deal," Menendez said. "From my perspective, unless there are other elements of the deal, that would not be a good deal."
Menendez pointed out that some of the sunset provisions agreed to in 2015 are close to expiring . "It's 2022; it's not 2014," he said.

Everyone agrees that Iran "cannot be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon," Menendez said.

"It will change the entire nature of the region," he said. "We will have a nuclear arms race in the region, and our ally, the state of Israel, will have an existential threat. We cannot tolerate that."

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Menendez on Iran: "No deal is better than a bad deal"

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