Germany Warns GOP Letter Affects Iran Talks 
German foreign minister says the letter is not just an American domestic political issue
BERLIN—German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday a letter sent by 47 Republican senators to Iran’s leaders has complicated talks over Iran’s nuclear program by allowing Tehran to claim the West is not negotiating in good faith.
Mr.
Steinmeier, whose country is among the group of six nations negotiating
with Iran, said the March 9 letter warning that a nuclear deal may not
last beyond the Obama Administration injected a new element of distrust
into the already difficult talks.
“It would have been difficult enough without the letter of the 47,” Mr. Steinmeier said in an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. “Now it has become somewhat more difficult.”
Mr.
Steinmeier’s comments were among the strongest from international
officials so far warning that the letter may affect the talks. The West
now risks losing a negotiating advantage over Iran, the foreign minister
said.
Suddenly,
Iran can say to us: ‘Are you actually trustworthy in the proposals you
make if 47 senators say that no matter what the government agrees to, we
will subsequently take that off the table again?’” Mr. Steinmeier said.
“This is no small matter we’re talking about.”
Mr. Steinmeier met with Secretary of State John Kerry on
Thursday and said there had been recent progress in the talks but not
all hurdles had been overcome. In the last year, Mr. Steinmeier said,
Iran has appeared to be negotiating “seriously, with the goal of
reaching an agreement.”
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