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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 16 deceMber 2019
Horse-trading Iran hawks seize on

Pompeo’s Senate interest

the nation’s top diplomat. the nomination for Biegun, anonymity. The Iran opin-
A former congressman currently the U.S. special ion will be used by Cruz
and Trump’s CIA director, representative for North and other Iran deal op-
Pompeo has been weigh- Korea, pending the release ponents to argue that the
ing a Senate campaign in of the Iran opinion. Cruz is U.S. should invoke a ``snap-
his home state for months, an ally of the White House back” mechanism for U.N.
though officials say no final and one of the most hawk- sanctions that is allowed
decision has been made. ish lawmakers in Congress under the Security Council
The matter also highlights on Iran. resolution that enshrined
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, the extent to which some The hold would have the 2015 agreement known
center, arrives at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Republicans in Washing- scrambled the pecking as the Joint Comprehen-
Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. ton are still pushing to dis- order at the State Depart- sive Plan of Action, known
Associated Press mantle remaining elements ment should Pompeo de- as JCPOA. Snapback
of the Iran nuclear accord part for a Senate cam- would mean the reimpo-
Continued from Front Without Biegun in place, more than a year after the paign. sition of all U.N. sanctions
the top job at State would U.S. withdrew. The State The current deputy sec- against Iran, including an
Cruz’s hold on Biegun not have likely gone on an in- Department legal opinion retary of state, John Sul- arms embargo and travel
only put his nomination in terim basis to a David Hale, will be used by Cruz and livan, was confirmed on bans on specific Iranian
jeopardy, but it also risked a career official who testi- others in the coming weeks Thursday to be the next officials that are due to ex-
upending a relatively fied in the impeachment to argue that Washington U.S. ambassador to Russia. pire in October 2020.
seamless transition at the inquiry into Trump. can still force the reimposi- The third-ranking official is Under Security Coun-
State Department if Pom- The behind-the-scenes dra- tion of U.N. sanctions set to Hale, the most senior de- cil Resolution 2231, any
peo soon steps down to ma raises new questions expire next year. partment official to testify “participant state” in the
run for Senate in Kansas. about Pompeo’s future as Cruz placed the hold on in the impeachment inves- agreement may invoke the
tigation. He shed light on snapback if Iran is found to
the decision to oust Marie be in “significant non-per-
Yovanovitch from her post- formance” with the agree-
ing as the ambassador to ment. Although Trump
Ukraine, as well as on the withdrew the U.S. from the
department’s decision to nuclear deal last year, the
not defend her. resolution names the par-
After considering the pos- ticipants as those countries
sibility that Hale would that originally negotiated it:
become acting secretary Britain, China, France, Ger-
of state with Sullivan off many, Russia, the United
to Moscow and Biegun’s States and the European
nomination on hold, the Union, along with Iran.
department relented and Deal supporters have ar-
released the Iran memo, gued that Trump’s with-
according to the admin- drawal means the U.S. is no
istration official and con- longer a participant and
gressional aide. is thus ineligible to invoke
The administration official the snapback mechanism.
and congressional aide Critics of the accord main-
were not authorized to tain the language of the
public discuss the matter Security Council resolution
and spoke on condition of would allow it.q