‘Foolish’ to link Iran nuke talks, ISIS cooperation

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) on Monday said it would be “absolutely foolish” for the U.S. to show Iran leniency in negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for military cooperation against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“We have to remember that a nuclear Iran is the most threatening thing to world peace today. We cannot allow that to happen,” Forbes, who is weighing a bid for the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee next year, said during an interview with Fox News.

He added that he was “very concerned about any negotiations they're having with Iran right now.”

Senior Iranian officials told Reuters over the weekend that Tehran is prepared to work with Washington and its allies to stop the terrorist group, but they want more flexibility on their nuclear effort in return.

Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday to continue talks on a comprehensive nuclear deal in an effort to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

They also discussed the ISIS threat, a senior State Department official said.

The United States, Iran and five other world powers have until Nov. 24 to reach a deal. The diplomats have already received an extension after missing the July 20 deadline.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Monday dismissed Iran’s proposal, saying that said the effort on Tehran’s nuclear program is "entirely separate" from President Obama's attempts to create a an international coalition to battle ISIS.

"The United States will not be in the position of trading aspects of Iran's nuclear program to secure commitments to take on ISIL," he said, using another common acronym for the group.

Forbes said he is “very concerned about Secretary Kerry and any kind of deals he might strike with Iran.”

He called Iran a “major, major concern for many of us around the world. If they get a nuclear weapon, it's a huge game changer in the Middle East.”

The Obama administration has lifted some economic sanctions against Iran in order to keep the country’s negotiators at the table.

“The No. 1 thing, the Iranians wanted to just get those sanctions off. And we just gave it to them,” Forbes said. “We knew all along that they weren't going to come up with much of a deal with the Iranians. I think we're finding that to be the case now and we’ll continue to find that.”

He said the administration must “develop a strategy that doesn't have to have Iran in it, that brings the rest of our allies in to try to deal with” ISIS.

“They have not done that yet, even though they've talked about doing that,” Forbes charged.

TheHill