Some U.S. Lawmakers Still Undecided on Iran Nuclear Deal

AS IT IS 2015-08-11 Some U.S. Lawmakers Still Undecided on Iran Nuclear Deal

United States lawmakers have begun considering the international agreement to restrict Iran’s nuclear activities. Some members of Congress are still uncommitted on the nuclear deal. They say they have yet to be persuaded on whether to vote for or against it.

On Sunday, a member of the U.S. Senate said she does not believe she or other uncommitted lawmakers are under any pressure from either side in the debate. Senator Claire McCaskill is from Missouri and belongs to the Democratic Party -- the same party as President Barack Obama.

Also on Sunday, Mr. Obama warned that Congressional rejection² of the deal would make it harder to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill has  yet to announce her position on the agreement. She says she is reaching out to diplomats³ of countries holding Iranian money and other assets. She wants to know if they will continue to respect international sanctions on Iran if the U.S. Congress votes against the deal:

“That money is held primarily in India, China, South Korea (and) Japan. So, I’m on the phone to those countries, those embassies, those ambassadors, asking them the question, ‘What will you do if the United States walks away? Will Iran get this money anyway?’ "

If these countries enforce the international restrictions⁴ on Iran, should the Congress vote down the agreement? Would that make her more likely to vote against it?

“It’s not a perfect deal, obviously. We don’t trust Iran, but I think too many people are judging this deal against the status quo, not what the new situation would be on the world stage.  Remember, the world is united in this deal, so it’s going to have to be a status quo where the rest of the world also stays united or  sanctions regime will just fall apart.”

Last week, New York Senator Charles Schumer announced his opposition⁵ to the nuclear agreement. Mr. Schumer is a leading Democrat¹. Senator McCaskill says she does not feel pressured to make a decision by either side.

"I don’t think any of us feel pressured, either by Chuck Schumer’s rejection of this deal or the president’s full-throated support... I hope my colleagues are doing what I’m doing and that is doing our homework. One of the things that was most disappointing was the (majority) Republicans insisted on 60 days to review this deal."

Ms. McCaskill criticized the Republican Party for making a hurried decision on the deal.

"It appeared to me most of them made their minds up in five minutes, and so I think this is one where the heightened rhetoric⁶ on both sides is not always helpful and I hope that more senators keep their blinders on, do their homework and figure out which way do we secure Israel and secure our country."

President Obama was questioned late Friday for a show that CNN broadcast on Sunday. The president said that studies show a majority of Americans are against the nuclear deal because they do not have all the facts. He called it a complicated agreement, with a country where demonstrators chant “Death to America.” But he said those who know most about the difficulty of keeping Iran from getting nuclear weapons support it.

Mr. Obama said congressional opponents of the agreement have a lot in common with those in Iran who want to limits contacts between the two countries. He said those who have announced their opposition before reading the agreement are not interested in the substance of the issue, but the politics of it.

And, he warned congressional rejection would make it harder to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Mr. Obama said the international unity⁷ resulting from the agreement would come apart. He said that would not just be on sanctions, but also on opinions about U.S. leadership, and who is responsible for the dispute between the U.S. and Iran.

Next month, U.S. lawmakers are expected to vote on whether to approve or disapprove⁸ the international nuclear agreement with Iran. If they reject the deal, Mr. Obama has threatened to veto such a vote. That would mean that then both houses of Congress would have to come up with a two-thirds vote to override⁹, or cancel, the veto.

Words in This Story

asset (s) – n. a valuable thing, such as money, property or stock shares

sanction (s) – n. action taken or an order that given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

status quo – n. the way things are now

complicated – adj. hard to understand or explain     

chant (s) – v. say something many times in a rhythmic¹⁰ way usually loudly and in a group

challenge – n. to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

8 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

9 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

10 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。