Iran back in Capitol Hill’s cross hairs
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of July 14.
Iran is back in Capitol Hill’s cross hairs as the July 20 deadline for a nuclear deal approaches and Israel blames Tehran for arming Hamas with long-range missiles in the latest flare-up with Gaza.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday dedicated to “Iran’s destabilizing role in the Middle East.” And on Thursday, the conservative Foreign Policy Institute and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies will partner with the Bipartisan Policy Center to host a panel on the expectations for an Iran deal with some of the leading Iran critics on Capitol Hill: Sens. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Dan Coats, R-Ind., and Reps. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Brad Sherman, D-Calif.
The rhetorical onslaught comes as almost four of every five House members signed a letter to President Barack Obama this past week warning him to address the concerns of Congress in any final deal with Iran if hopes to see sanctions lifted. And on Friday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself from Gaza rocket fire that includes an amendment from House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., blaming Iran for arming Hamas.
“We must also acknowledge Iran’s role in this conflict,” outgoing House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said in a statement Friday. “Just as Iran has fueled sectarian violence and extremist terrorism in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, it has long provided Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad with lethal support to aid in their unrelenting war of terror against Israel.
