Trump allies plot to undercut Biden's goal to rejoin Iran and Paris agreements

In a bid to undercut the incoming Biden administration, two prominent Trump loyalists in the US Senate, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, are pressing the outgoing president to submit to the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement to the chamber for ratification as soon as possible. This way, Trump could pave way for an eventual showdown over the two critical agreements in the early days of the incoming Biden administration, leading to its possible failure. 

In a letter obtained by RealClearPolitics, Cruz urged both the US President and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to plant seeds of an eventual vote later in 2021. He further reckoned that once submitted, both the acts would be up for a vote that would fail to achieve the two-thirds needed to ratify them. Thus, it would eventually block Joe Biden’s efforts to bring the US to reconcile with international powers.

Read: Germany Urges Iran Not To Waste Final Opportunity

"I urge you now to remedy the harm done to the balance of powers by submitting the Iran deal and the Paris agreement to the Senate as treaties. Only by so doing with the Senate be able to satisfy its constitutional role to provide advice and consent in the event any future administration attempts to revive these dangerous deals," Cruz was qouted.

Cruz’s cynical ploy was reaffirmed by Graham, who in a series of tweets, opined that he has been working hard "to secure a vote in the US Senate regarding any potential decision to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal." He also slammed the Paris agreement stating that the pact only benefited China and India, both "enormous CO2 emitters". Supporting Trump’s decision, he wrote that climate change was a worldwide problem, not just the United States.

Read: Iran Urged Not To Squander Chance To Salvage Nuclear Deal

Read: European Union Paves Way For Revival Of Iran Nuclear Deal Ahead Of Biden's Official Entry

Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear deal in 2015 which limited Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. In the following year, in 2016, the Republican leader pulled out a Paris Agreement which the United States had forged under Obama administration.

EU facilitates deal 

This comes as European Union Foreign Ministers agreed not to set fresh preconditions on a revival of the Iran Nuclear Deal, hoping Tehran and Washington would be able to come back into full compliance with the agreement. The decision was made as EU foreign ministers that are signatory to the deal convened for the first time in the year hoping for an agreement between the two rivals. However, UK asserted that the issue need not be raised until significant progress has been made on the US and Iran coming back into full compliance.

Read: Iran Urged Not To Squander Chance To Salvage Nuclear Deal