News / Politics

US Democratic lawmakers to Boehner: Postpone Netanyahu speech

Thursday, 19 February 2015 10:36 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 19 February 2015 10:51 PM ]

US Congress on Capitol Hill, Washington DC

A group of US lawmakers have asked the leader of the US House of Representatives to postpone a planned address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress next month.

A letter signed by 23 House Democrats accused John Boehner, who invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on March 3 without consulting the White House or the State Department, of using him “as a political tool” against President Barack Obama. “It appears that you are using a foreign leader as a political tool against the president.”

The Democratic lawmakers said the visit seems to be an attempt to push further sanctions against Iran which could threaten nuclear talks between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 states - the US, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.

"The timing of this invitation and lack of coordination with the White House indicate that this is not an ordinary diplomatic visit. Rather this appears to be an attempt to promote new sanctions legislation against Iran that could undermine critical negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran," the lawmakers wrote.

Iran and the P5+1 countries are in talks to narrow their differences and pave the way for a final, long-term accord aimed at putting an end to the 12-year-old dispute over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

The scale of Iran’s uranium enrichment and the timetable for the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions are seen as major sticking points in the talks.

The Republican-dominated Congress is pushing a new round of sanctions on Iran, which could be part of its agenda in the coming weeks.

Obama has vowed to veto the final Kirk-Menendez bill if it is put on his desk after passing both houses of Congress.

The illegal sanctions on Iran have been imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Tehran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear program.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

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