President Barack Obama on Monday said Republican senators have a "common cause with the hardliners in Iran," after 47 GOP senators sent a letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic warning that any nuclear agreement reached with the Obama administration could be overturned.
Obama made the comment while speaking to reporters with European Union Council President Donald Tusk, shortly after White House press secretary Josh Earnest unloaded on Senate Republicans, accusing them of a “rush to war” and making a “backchannel with hardliners in Iran."
"I think it’s somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in Iran," Obama said. "It’s an unusual coalition. I think what we are going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we can get the deal or not, and once we do, if we do, then we’ll be able to make the case to the American people.”
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
The senators wrote that a nuclear deal made with the Obama administration might not survive the next administration unless it gains congressional approval, something highly unlikely at this point, as the deal has bipartisan opposition.
Earnest reiterated the administration’s intention to reach a deal that would impose rigorous inspections on Iran to prove its nuclear production is used for peaceful purposes before sanctions are dropped.
“The rush to war, or at least the rush to the military option, that many Republicans are advocating, is not at all in the best interest of the United States,” Earnest said.
Earnest called the letter the latest in a long-running effort to undermine the president’s foreign policy.
“It’s surprising to me that there are Republican senators who are seeking to establish a back channel with hardliners in Iran to undermine an agreement between Iran and the broader international community,” Earnest said.
Questioned on the "backchannel" characterization, since it was an open letter, Earnest conceded a better description might have been calling it a “direct channel.”
He said Republicans in Congress seem supportive of Obama’s efforts on the authorization of military force against the Islamic State while still trying to obstruct an Iran deal. He said these seem to share a common thread.
“The Republican Party is eager to direct almost unlimited authority to wage war but repeatedly ties his hands when he’s trying to conduct diplomacy,” Earnest said.
