In an apparent reaction to President Barack Obama's concession to allow Congress to approve the terms of an Iran nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reminded the U.S. on Wednesday that Tehran is conducting talks with six world powers, not American lawmakers.
"Our partner is not the U.S. Congress or the Senate, our partner is a group called '5+1,'" Rouhani said in a speech to tens of thousands of Iranians in the northern city of Rasht, according to The Associated Press. The group Rouhani referred to are the five permanent U.N. Security Council members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France - and Germany.
Rouhani said the disputes between the Obama administration and Congress are an "internal issue."
"It has absolutely nothing to do with our government and nation what ... U.S. representatives or hard-liners say ... We are looking for reciprocal ... good will and respect," he said.
On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved a measure that would allow Congress to have a final say on any nuclear deal struck with Iran. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote and is expected to clear the Republican-controlled House as well. If enacted, the measure would prevent Obama from removing sanctions until Congress approves the deal.
The Obama administration together with the five other world powers hope to finalize a deal by June 30 to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. In exchange, Tehran would have some, but likely not all, sanctions lifted.
Negotiators are expected to offer to remove U.S. sanctions on Iran's crude oil sales to other countries, as well as sanctions on Tehran's financial system, but sanctions relating to human rights and terrorism issues would remain in place, according to Reuters.
Rouhani has repeatedly stressed that Iran would only accept a deal if world powers simultaneously lifted all sanctions imposed on it.
"If there is no end to sanctions, there will not be an agreement," Rouhani said Wednesday. "The end of these negotiations and a signed deal must include a declaration of canceling the oppressive sanctions on the great nation of Iran."
Yet even if all U.S. federal and internationally imposed sanctions were simultaneously lifted, it would be difficult to force individual states to remove their sanctions. Nearly two dozen U.S. states have indicated that they will maintain state-level sanctions on Iran regardless of what happens at an international level.
