iran nuclear talks

Iran's announcement of uranium enrichment and tanker attack draws U.S. closer to an armed conflict that could easily have been avoided.

No need to mourn the Iran nuclear deal. When President Donald Trump pulled the plug on it, after months of warning that the flawed 2015 agreement needed to be

By reneging on the Iran nuclear pact, President Trump has undermined national security and and the future of U.S. diplomacy.

Leaving nuclear deal would only aid Iran's extremists and hurt U.S. interests.

Over the next three months, the fate of the Iran nuclear agreement and U.S. relations with Iran fall to President Trump and congressional leaders. There is no one as important as Sen. Ben Cardin in determining the fate of this relationship.

The agreement may not be perfect but it's better than no deal at all

President Trump is lying about the Iran nuclear deal.

At a time when North Korea's nuclear program is posing an increasing threat, why would Trump push Iran toward resuming its nuclear program?

North Korea is on an unassailable course to become the world’s tenth member of the nuclear-weapons club.

Donald Trump needs the UN to deal with issues like North Korea. But he's made his own task much harder.

An Iran sanctions bill co-sponsored by Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin is currently making its way through the Senate. A vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could come within days. If approved in its current form, the bill could undermine the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers.

State Del. Kathy Szeliga and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, appearing Sunday at a Rockville synagogue, both pledged to support Israel if elected to Maryland's open Senate seat. But the candidates differed sharply on whether the Iran nuclear deal was the best way.

By Yvonne Wenger

Sep 25, 2016

One year after Congress failed to derail the controversial Iran nuclear agreement, Republican candidates in Maryland and elsewhere are still hammering on it — suggesting Democrats who supported it are something other than pro-Israel.

By John Fritze

Sep 18, 2016

The appointment of an ultra-nationalist extremist with no military experience to be Israel's defense chief will complicate U.S. relations with the Jewish state

The U.S. already has benefited from the nuclear accord implemented with Iran last weekend.

Maryland Rep. John Delaney on Thursday became the latest Democrat to call for tougher U.S. sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran's recent ballistic missile tests -- and the second-term lawmaker wants to press the issue through legislation.

By John Fritze

Jan 7, 2016

Trans-Pacific Partnership is a complex trade agreement deserving of thoughtful review — and unlikely to get one from those running for president

President Obama's Press Secretary Josh Earnest recently said that the administration was unsure about Russia's motivations for its military build-up in Syria. While Middle East policy has not been a bright spot for the Obama administration — except for the nuclear agreement with Iran — the lack of understanding of Vladimir Putin's purpose is quite surprising. In my own view, Mr. Putin's motives are quite clear: He wants to keep his ally, Bashar Assad, in power.

Was Wednesday's debate the best Republicans have to offer?

Mikulski, Cardin votes on Iran deal reek of collusion

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger announced Thursday he will support the nuclear agreement with Iran, arguing that the deal "removes Iran¿s most dangerous and likely path to a nuclear weapon."

By John Fritze

Sep 10, 2015

If Israel doesn't like the Iran deal, too bad

Cardin's late-stage opposition to nuclear agreement an example of putting politics first

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Steny Hoyer said Wednesday he will support the pending nuclear agreement with Iran despite "serious concerns," and he called for a congressional oversight commission to monitor the deal's implementation.

By John Fritze

Sep 9, 2015

A diplomatic deal with Iran over nuclear capability is fine — just not this one

Israeli security officials and American Jews are not big fans of Iran nuclear agreement

Rep. John Sarbanes said Monday he will support the pending nuclear agreement with Iran, arguing that the plan will be "effective in pulling Iran back from the threshold of becoming a nuclear weapon state."

By John Fritze

Sep 7, 2015

Democratic Senators' decision to side with Obama guarantees a nuclear Iran, Cal Thomas writes.

Sen. Ben Cardin, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Friday he will oppose the pending nuclear agreement with Iran, joining a minority of Democrats in a position that has already been defeated.

By John Fritze

Sep 4, 2015

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland announced her support Wednesday for the pending nuclear agreement with Iran, becoming the last vote President Barack Obama needed to ensure he can sustain a veto if Congress rejects the controversial pact later this month.

By John Fritze

Sep 2, 2015

President Barack Obama's controversial nuclear deal with Iran was poised for approval after two Democratic senators added their support Tuesday and a key Maryland lawmaker confidently predicted there would be enough votes to put down GOP opposition.

By John Fritze

Sep 1, 2015

I am sad to say that as a member and leader of this community for more than 30 years, The Associated and the Baltimore Jewish Council do not speak for me, or a majority of American Jews, when it comes to accepting the Iran nuclear agreement.

Before Congress votes, it must know what side deals have been struck on Iran's nuke program.

Baltimore Rep. Elijah E. Cummings said Tuesday he will support the controversial nuclear agreement with Iran brokered by the Obama administration and other world leaders, arguing that a rejection of the deal would "likely cause more harm to the United States, American interests, and our allies."

By John Fritze

Sep 1, 2015

The big political football right now is the debate concerning the nuclear industry in Iran.

Iran's leaders have gotten their cake and get to eat it, too, with benign nuclear agreement and cash to finance terrorism

Iran nuclear deal may be a first step toward meaningful talks over other issues, too.

In the same breath as they're slamming McDonald's, the Iranians are telling us exactly what they want from the West: ultra-high-tech manufacturing. That's precisely why it should be used as the ultimate enticement in developing closer relations with new frontier markets like Iran, not to be given away without something substantial in return.

Maryland's senators must recognize that Iran nuclear deal jeopardizes U.S. security

Unfortunately, political bickering and misinformation from critics has muddled the debate over the Iran nuclear deal. The fundamental choice is whether to support this agreement — which will verifiably block all of Iran's potential pathways to nuclear weapons for the next generation, or more — or follow the advice of pressure groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other skeptics, who claim that the agreement falls short of expectations and should

Congress and the president face a major test next month when lawmakers return to Washington to consider the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal

If you like a nuclear North Korea, you'll love the Iran deal.

Critics of Iran accord must offer a credible alternative

WASHINGTON -- A liberal Jewish group that is backing the pending nuclear agreement with Iran announced its support for Rep. Chris Van Hollen's campaign for Senate on Wednesday, months after announcing it will also support his opponent, Rep. Donna F. Edwards.

By John Fritze

Aug 12, 2015

Approving the Iran deal is risky; rejecting it would be calamitous.

The Constitution says the president and secretary of state negotiate treaties, not Congress.

President Barack Obama defended his controversial nuclear agreement with Iran Wednesday in the strongest terms yet, warning that critics of the deal — such as groups running television ads in Maryland, to sway key Sen. Ben Cardin — are setting the nation up for another war in the Middle East.

By John Fritze

Aug 5, 2015

Ben Cardin needs to make up his mind and support the Iran deal.

Sen. Ben Cardin has emerged as a central figure in the debate over the pending nuclear deal with Iran, joining a small group of lawmakers who may decide the future of one of President Barack Obama's most significant foreign policies.

By John Fritze

Aug 4, 2015

Rep. Chris Van Hollen said Thursday he will support President Barack Obama's controversial nuclear agreement with Iran, a decision that could have implications for the Democrat's campaign for Senate in Maryland.

By John Fritze

Jul 30, 2015