How dare they try to get in the way of a perfectly good appeasement agreement? The audacity! “Iranian FM Zarif to U.S. Senators: You Are Ignorant Of International Law,” Tehran Times, March 10, 2015:
TEHRAN – The Iranian foreign minister on Monday reacted to an open letter to Iran’s leaders by 47 U.S. Republican senators who had warned Tehran that any nuclear deal that the Islamic Republic signs with President Barack Obama’s administration won’t last after Obama leaves office.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said the letter lacks “legal validity” and shows that the signatories of the letter are “ignorant of international law[.]”
“In our view this letter has no legal validity and is just a propaganda scheme,” Zarif noted.
Zarif said it is surprising that while nuclear talks have not reached a result yet pressure groups in the U.S. have become so “worried” that they have resorted to any “unconventional way” to kill it[.]
The letter proved that “like” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu these senators “are opposed to any deal”.
Expressing surprise on how it is possible that the legislators of a country write a letter against their own president and government to the leaders of another country, Zarif said, “The letter by the senators show that not only they are alien to international law but even not familiar with the details of the their own constitution about the authority of the president” in implementing foreign agreements.
Organized by freshman Senator Tom Cotton and signed by the chamber’s entire party leadership as well as potential 2016 presidential contenders Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, the letter is meant not just to discourage Iran from signing a deal but also to pressure the White House into giving Congress some authority over the process.
“It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system … Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement,” the senators wrote. “The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”….
vlparker says
Not very diplomatic of Zarif. I guess HE is ignorant of US law. Evidently US leaders aren’t the only ones who don’t know their enemies.
Doesn’t he know he’s dealing with a bunch of jelly spined republicans who constantly say one thing and do another? He’s got the biggest wimp in Congress as senate majority leader. His statement might actually tick a few of them off.
Draki says
I think you nailed it by calling Zarif ignorant. Hopefully, they’re stupid and we can take advantage of their ignorance.
duh_swami says
Your liberal bias is showing…
Draki says
How is the original author’s liberal bias shown? I can’t say that McCain, McMcConnell, Graham, and Boehner are staunch conservative men.
Spot On says
” I guess HE is ignorant of US law.”
You forgot to include Kerry and Obama who are the epitome of ignorance.
standard & poor says
Oh, now…don’t make poor old John Boner start crying again.
CogitoErgoSum says
The Constitution of the United States of America, Article 2, section 2, clause 2 reads in part as follows: “He (the President) shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;…….
This means the President may negotiate a treaty but for any treaty to be legally binding upon the United States, two thirds of the Senate must agree to accept its provisions. Any treaty lacking the Senate’s approval would simply be an agreement between the President who signed such an agreement and the other signatory to the agreement. The next President would not be bound by such an agreement. It seems straight-forward enough to me.
mortimer says
Exactly. In the matter of treaties, the Senate rules the President, rather than the reverse.
The Senators are reminding Zarif that he must actually negotiate with them or no deal.
Rev. Albert W. Kovacs - UCC says
As the Constitution words it, an agreement isn’t worth the paper it is written on – and it only has validity if and after the 2/3rds of the Senate pass it. Therefore, nothing the President signs is worth the paper it’s written on until the Senate’s officers sign the “treaty.”
Kepha says
Interesting that a minion of a regime that started off by taking diplomats hostage should invoke international law.
Nathan says
Exactly! Somebody who bows to no law, apart from Islam (some might argue that it’s so open to an individuals view that it isn’t even a law). Who hides behind every ‘other’ law in the land, so he can do what ever he and his regime pleases. Thank god and humanity for the great leaders of the past!
Bezelel says
And what does international law say about global nuclear jihad or genocide or terrorism or repeatedly and without interruption, declaring war? International law has no bearing on the Constitutional process. zarif is the one that is lacking validity, him and his entire regime. Now would be a real good time for an iranian revolution.
Spot On says
It sure looks like Obama has teamed up with the Iranians. Good for them and bad for us.
Free from Islam says
It never fails for the Mullah’s Islamic regime to act more outrageously. Foreign minster of a government which is most unrepresentative of the people it represents, having the audacity to rely on authenticity of International law by declaring a denunciation over US senators action, while the record of the regime he represents is spotted with most appalling violations of international law commitments. Starting with taking diplomats as hostages within & outside borders of Iran, up to conspicuous incursions direct or by proxy to other territories! This is just to name a few…. Zarif is the decor for the most dreadful evil regime, even compared to none clergy oppressive systems common in third world. Audacity of the Islamic Mullahs is unfailing. The people of Iran have been the victim of this boundless insolent effrontery for over 3 decades. No people until recent preys of Da’esh (ISIS) received the tragic fate living under Islam than the people of Iran.
duh_swami says
When international law and the US Constitution conflict, the Constitution trumps…Or at least that’s the way it is supposed to work…
Spot On says
Everyone knows this except the MSM and Obama. I am also sure that Iran knows this. They know more about us that we do.
ApolloSpeaks says
DEMOCRATS COLLUDE WITH SOVIETS TO UNDERMINE REAGAN
What is a letter by 47 Republican Senators explaining to Iranians how our constitutional system works compared to the Democrats in the 1980s colluding with the Soviets in stiring up massive worldwide nuclear war hysteria to undermine Reagan’s tough anti-Soviet policies (that won the Cold War)?
http://www.apollospeaks.com
Spot On says
Progressives and some secularists see religion as opium for the masses. To them, believers are stupid and backwater people. They believe that like ours, Iran is a rational society who fears being annihilated by our nukes. Progressives are also generally anti-Semitic and in their hearts would welcome the disappearance of Israel. Progressives are blind to a whole list of things and have little common sense. In other words, they are stupid but they do generally control the world because their world exists within government (which is why the world is in such a financial mess and faces so many other threats).
In reality, Iran firmly believes that they must bring Armageddon to the world as part of their Islamic religious beliefs. After Armageddon they believe they will conquer the world and impose their brand of Islam on the world. Progressives and many secularists cannot see this because they do not understand religion, but this is indeed Iran’s over arching goal. If Iran masters nukes and delivery systems, they will then have a wide range of options for making all this happen and they will act upon those options; not only to annihilate Israel but to the inflict catastrophic damage upon the USA and Europe as well. Progressives and some secularists will not understand this.
Europe is weak with Islam taking over and would likely surrender under an Iranian threat. Other Islamic regimes in the ME would fight them but with out nuke mastery, they would likely lose. To this point, I might add that Thomas Sowell fears that (like Europe) Obama would like surrender if we took a direct nuclear hit from Iran.
For those that still think that our military could protect us from a first strike from Iran please let me assure you that I am not a military tactician but even I can think of many many ways for them to circumvent our military defenses and create first strike devastation in the USA on such a massive scale that we are not likely to recover any time soon. They could also use their surrogate terrorist groups for the attack to hide their identity. In the event that Washington could prove the attack came from Iran, they would be ready for any such nuclear retaliation. Surely, Iran’s leaders have secure deep underground facilities in which to hide and their people are looking forward to the Mahdi climbing out of the Well after Armageddon.
Spot On says
Pardon the lack of spaces between paragraphs.
bobm says
Look at Kerrys face ;; he’s in over his head….. they toy with him….. Odo uses his Obama shapeshifter talents but these islamists are taught by the best of em… the father of lies.
Sam says
Obama wants negotiations for Iran with NUKE, Iran wants negotiations for Iran with NUKE. So what is the problem? Also the best negotiator of foreign affairs, John Kerry is working with Iranians. Can’t get any better than that. I feel real warm and fuzzy. Don’t you?
Spot On says
You got it. With John Kerry negotiating, how can we lose?