On March 9, 2015, forty-seven senate Republicans personally signed an open letter to Iran’s top leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The letter came at a time when an upcoming deadline to pass a nuclear deal between Iran and the United States was quickly approaching. Within the letter, Republicans clarified Congress’ substantial role within the American government, hinting at the fact that any agreement regarding a nuclear weapons program could be revoked.

Iran and the United States have been discussing the possibility of a nuclear deal for a while. Unable to reach a November deadline, President Obama extended the deadline to March 24. Both sides want particular requirements fulfilled, and the debate is ongoing. The United States, representing the West, wants rigorous inspections of nuclear plants, limits on centrifuges with uranium enrichment, and the removal of the majority of Tehran’s existing fuels. Iran, on the other hand, feels that it should be able to produce nuclear energy for medical purposes. Additionally, Iran wants a break from American-led sanctions, which have taken a great toll on its oil-based economy.

Israel has been particularly adamant about completely cutting off Iran’s nuclear provisions. Recently, Speaker of the House John Boehner boldly invited Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, to speak in Congress. After his controversial visit, Netanyahu has stated that he feels that the United States is allowing Iran to go beyond safe limits.

Secretary of State John Kerry states, “We want to recognize the main goal here is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. And on that, Israel and the United States agree.” President Obama and Secretary Kerry insist that the deal would not allow Iran, if it breaks the agreement, to create fuel for a nuclear weapon.

Despite these reassurances, Republicans, much like Netanyahu, strongly opposed a deal with President Obama’s criteria; in fact, they felt the need to reiterate this to the Iranian government. The subsequent writing of the open letter, led by freshman Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, has received much backlash.

Katie Kleinle ’16 states that “the entire idea of the Republicans’ letter to Iran is ridiculously juvenile. There comes a point where nationalism should trump individual ideology, and for them to attempt to express themselves by circumventing conventional diplomatic routes isn’t just embarrassing—it makes the American political process look disorganized and illegitimate as a whole.”

President Obama and John Kerry both expressed their strong disapproval of the Senate Republicans’ recent actions. President Obama said in a statement that he had never in his political career heard of such an outrageous act committed by Congress.

Collin Montag ’17 adds, “I think this is a wakeup call for President Obama; before this intervention in American foreign policy, Republican power seemed limited to domestic affairs. But this independent act by Congressional Republicans, reaching out to foreign nations despite Obama’s opposition, has truly shown the extent to which Republicans will go to stop Obama and Democrats and to use their power to sway American foreign policy.”

It seems as though the Republicans achieved their goal in catching the eye of not only the President, but the international community as well.