By Darlene Hooley and Maiya Zwerling
Dating back to Sen. Wayne Morse’s lonely vote with one other senator against the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, Oregon members of Congress have been known for their outspoken skepticism about U.S. military intervention abroad. Only after tens of thousands of Americans and millions of Vietnamese were killed did our policymakers fully understand that Sen. Morse was right to be skeptical.
Today, our lawmakers have an opportunity to prevent another Vietnam. Thanks to the historic deal to limit Iran's nuclear program, the world is farther from another war and a nuclear-armed Iran. America's first-step deal with Iran, whose implementation will go into effect Jan. 20, provides the most recent opportunity for our leaders to speak out against policies that lead us on a path to war.
The first-step deal both halts Iran’s nuclear program and winds back the most pressing proliferation concerns for the first time in a decade. To play its part, the United States has agreed to provide minor sanctions relief as well as refrain from passing more sanctions as the negotiations continue.
Building a higher wall of sanctions would stand in the way of diplomacy, diverting America down the path to another war.
Senators Robert Menendez. D-N.J., Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., are pushing legislation that increases sanctions, broadening the scope of restrictions against Iran’s energy sector while expanding constraints on shipping and mining industries. The bill also burdens negotiators with unrealistic conditions, adding new sanctions unless a comprehensive and final deal has been sealed with Iran from enriching any uranium.
The new bill places the impossible perfect above the achievable good.
In addition to attempting to curb the prerogative of the president to negotiate on behalf of the United States, the bill will undermine the ongoing talks by violating the Geneva accord. Negotiations hang on domestic and international perceptions. By passing new sanctions legislation, the Senate would effectively empower hardliners in Iran while casting the United States as the intransigent party to negotiations.
Oregon members of Congress have an important role to play to ensure the success of the nuclear deal, and many members of Congress have already voiced their support. Sen. Ron Wyden was one of 10 Senate chairs to oppose new sanctions in a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid. For years, Rep. Earl Blumenauer has been an adamant supporter of diplomacy to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, and cited the ongoing talks as "the most encouraging development with that country in 34 years." Sen. Jeff Merkley, widely known for his support to responsibly end the U.S. war in Afghanistan, is the latest legislator to join the effort.
We are proud that many Oregon legislators have backed the administration's diplomatic initiative with Iran. Obstructing the talks risks the prospect that Iran's nuclear program will not be resolved through a diplomatic process and could likely push our countries toward war. Congress is on the cusp of making a decision that could have grave consequences on war and peace. That's why Washington should heed the wise words of Sen. Morse when he warned about the impact of hasty congressional action: "I believe that within the next century, future generations will look with dismay and great disappointment upon a Congress which is now about to make such a historic mistake."
Darlene Hooley is a former congresswoman for Oregon's 5th district. Maiya Zwerling is a Portland native working for the Friends Committee on National Legislation.