White House Warns Senate on Deal-Killing Bill

WH warning - The administration reiterated its veto threat on the Corker bill over the weekend in a letter from White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). “The legislation you have introduced goes well beyond ensuring that Congress has a role to play in any deal with Iran,” the letter reads. “Instead, the legislation would potentially prevent any deal from succeeding.”

--“The administration's request to Congress is simple: let us complete the negotiations before Congress acts on legislation,” McDonough writes. “We do not believe that the country’s interests are served by congressional attempts to weigh in prematurely on this sensitive and consequential ongoing international negotiation.” Full letter here (pdf). http://huff.to/1Clt9dv

Congress unmoved - Despite outrage over the Cotton letter, Senate Democrats’ positions on the Corker bill remain the same. “Nobody’s dropping out. We’ve had reaffirmed commitment” from the bill’s Democratic supporters, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) told reporters in an interview last week. Full story by Burgess Everett in POLITICO. http://politi.co/1AMZnc6

Quote - “It is unrealistic to think that Congress is not going to be involved in looking at a final deal,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a sponsor of the Corker bill, on Meet the Press. “Any deal that touches upon the congressional statutory sanctions is going to get a review of Congress. And the only question is, are you going to have a constructive, deliberate, bipartisan process, or are you going to be rushed and partisan?” Full transcript here. http://nbcnews.to/1Eq3SOf

Tweet - @AtlanticCouncil: TODAY: A Nuclear Deal, Iran’s Regional Role & US Relations with the Gulf Follow @ACSouthAsia #ACIran at 2pm EST http://buff.ly/1Fs7DVh

Other places to worry about - South Africa possess nearly 500 pounds of highly-enriched uranium - enough to fuel half a dozen bombs. The nuclear material is locked in a former silver vault at a nuclear research center near the South African capital, where officials insist it’s secure.

--Washington, however, believes the material may be vulnerable to terrorists, and is waging a “discreet diplomatic campaign” to convince South Africa’s leaders to get rid of its large stock of nuclear-weapons fuel. Douglas Birch and R. Jeffrey Smith of the Center for Public Integrity have the story. http://wapo.st/1GS3BXR

Overplaying their hand - “The 47 Republican senators who wrote to Iranian leaders this month may have believed they were sabotaging the talks on a deal on Iran’s nuclear program,” writes Ali Vaez for Reuters but they have only strengthened Tehran’s hand at the negotiating table.

--The letter has rattled America’s allies and raised grave concerns in the international community about America’s political willpower to follow through on any commitments it makes at the negotiating table. This gives Tehran a huge edge in any “blame-game that would inevitably follow a still-possible failure to reach a comprehensive accord.” Full story here. http://reut.rs/1GLid7Z

Replica - The U.S. has built a top secret enrichment facility to mimic those used in Iran’s nuclear program. Using centrifuges acquired when Libya abandoned its nuclear program in 2003, U.S. technicians hope to devise methods that will allow them to detect any scenario in which Iran might cheat on commitments it makes at the negotiating table and rush for the bomb. Full story by Paul Richter for the Los Angeles Times. http://lat.ms/1EjX3LQ

Quick hits:

--“You Can’t Bomb It Away,” by Susan Glasser in
. http://politi.co/18Sqmfw

--“The Consequences of a Pakistani Sea-Based Nuclear Second Strike Capability,” by Ankit Panda for The Diplomat. http://bit.ly/1wNYW5K

--“Putin mulled putting nuclear forces 'on alert' over Crimea,” by Fran Blandey for AFP. http://yhoo.it/1MFFryg

--“Mitt Romney Thinks Iran Is Like North Korea. Former Nuclear Negotiators Disagree,” by Jessica Schulberg in The Huffington Post. http://huff.to/1ClMU4p

--“Report: PM tried to block Mossad warning to senators that sanctions would collapse Iran talks,” by Herb Keinon for the Jerusalem Post. http://bit.ly/1MEY5bu

Events:

--“A Nuclear Deal, Iran’s Regional Role and U.S. Relations with the Persian Gulf.” Featuring Richard LeBaron, former Ambassador to Kuwait; Alireza Nader, RAND; and Ilan Goldenberg, Center for a New American Security. March 16 at 2:00 PM. Located at the Atlantic Council, 12th Floor, 1030 15th St. NW, Washington, DC. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/1MFH1mO

--“Managing and Reducing 21st Century Nuclear Security Threats.” Featuring Duyeon Kim, Carnegie Endowment; former Sen. Sam Nunn (GA), Nuclear Security Initiative; former Sen. Richard Lugar (IN), Lugar Center; Desmond Browne, former U.K. Defense Minister; and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (NE). March 16 from 6:00-8:30 PM. Located at Georgetown University, Bunn Intercultural Center, 37th St. NW, Washington, DC. RSVP by March 12 online. http://bit.ly/1wJFnM8

--Senate Armed Services Committee, hearing on “Postures of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force.” With Gen. Raymond Odierno, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Mark Welsh, Chief of Staff, Air Force; Deborah Lee James, Air Force Secretary; and John McHugh, Army Secretary. March 18 at 2:30 PM. Located in room SD-106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Webcast on the committee website. http://1.usa.gov/1AjlKFQ

--Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, hearing on the Energy Department budget. With Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. March 18, time TBA, Room TBA, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington. Webcast on the committee website. http://1.usa.gov/1itSTpx

--House Committee on Foreign Affairs, hearing on: “Negotiations with Iran: Blocking or Paving Tehran’s Path to Nuclear Weapons?” With Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Acting Under Secretary of the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Adam J. Szubin. March 19 from 8:30AM to 11:30AM. Located in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC. Webcast on the committee website http://1.usa.gov/1GMva4X

--Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland, hearing on Air Force Force Structure and Modernization. With William LaPlante, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition; Lt. Gen. Tod Wolters, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations; and Lt. Gen. James Holmes, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements. March 19 at 2:30 PM. Located in room S 222, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC. Webcast on committee website. http://1.usa.gov/1Muu2kZ

--“Briefing and Report Release: Naval Nuclear Reactors and Use of Highly Enriched Uranium.” Hosted by the Federation of American Scientists. Featuring Dr. Charles D. Ferguson, President, FAS, Dr. Alireza Haghighat, Professor Virginia Tech Transport Theory Group (VT3G), Nuclear Science and Engineering Laboratory (NSEL) and Dr. Alan Kuperman, Associate Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. March 20, 2015 from 11:45 a.m.-1:45 PM. Located in Room 385 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. RSVP to rsvp@fas.org or 202-454-4694 by Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

Dessert:

Nuclear guardians - “Naval Base Kitsap, a marine base 20 miles from Seattle, may be home to the world's largest single-location arsenal of nuclear weapons, and it's defended by dolphins trained by the US Navy.” Pierre Bienaime has the full story for Business Insider. http://read.bi/1BJv7Cz