Accountability is a key to any negotiated agreement.  Unfortunately, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi and some of his colleagues, the Obama Administration seems inclined to ignore this in its pursuit of a nuclear agreement with Iran as the Nov. 24^th deadline fast approaches.

“An agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on if those who sign it won’t live up to the terms or there are no negative consequences for breaking those terms,” Enzi said.  “We’ve got members of both parties in Congress warning the president not to go off on his own and creatively abandon the clear requirements of U.N. Security Council resolutions.  I hope for our sake and the sake of our allies he listens.”

Enzi joined Senators Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Robert Menendez, D-N.J and others in writing to the Administration  this month asking President Obama to remember that the purpose of a nuclear agreement with Iran is not simply to get an agreement, but rather to actually get Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear arms.

“The negative consequences of a bad deal to the United States are immense, and will impact the security and safety of Americans and send a message of U.S. weakness to our allies and partners in the Middle East and beyond, including Israel,” the senators wrote.

Enzi also joined Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Menendez in sponsoring the Nuclear Weapons Free Iran Act about a year ago.  The bill would impose new sanctions if Iran does not hold to its agreement, but the bill has been blocked by the now outgoing Senate leadership. 

An interim deal that temporarily provided Iran some relief from sanctions in exchange for freezing its nuclear program expires Nov. 24.  That is also when a more permanent agreement is to be reached.

Enzi believes that both remaining and new lawmakers will not accept a deal that doesn’t meet the goal of preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state.