Europeans work Congress on Iran
The so-called E3 nations of France, United Kingdom and Germany have ramped up their outreach to Congress as the Nov. 24 deadline for a nuclear deal grows closer.
The EU nations that are part of the nuclear negotiations with Iran are ramping up their outreach to Congress ahead of the Nov. 24 deadline, European and congressional sources tell Al-Monitor.
Staffers from the French, British and German embassies are said to have had frank discussions with Capitol Hill in recent weeks about what an acceptable deal could look like for all parties. The outreach does not appear to be a concerted effort, nor does it seem to be coordinated with the Obama administration.
The three countries seem to be in broad agreement with US President Barack Obama that passing new sanctions before the Nov. 24 deadline could derail the talks and undermine the international coalition that has helped bring Iran to the negotiating table. Recent outreach, however, has focused more on possible options if the talks are extended once again, as seems increasingly likely, with the various countries allegedly offering different assessments.
“It’s not as black and white as the White House makes it out to be,” said a senior congressional aide who described a “variety of messages” coming from the three countries. The so-called E3 nations are part of a negotiating coalition that also includes the United States, China and Russia.
