Menendez: Iran talks began on ‘wrong premise’

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said on Sunday that the original purpose of Iranian nuclear negotiations was misguided.

Menendez added that the goal of any negotiations should be stopping, not managing, Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

{mosads}“Well, I think we started off with the wrong premise,” he told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.”

“And the problem here, George, is that we have gone from preventing Iran having a nuclear ability to managing it,” said Menendez, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Committee.

“And at the end of the day, I hope that notwithstanding a deal, that the president makes a very clear statement to Iran that as it relates to the future, we cannot accept Iran having a nuclear weapon, period,” he added.

Menendez’s remarks come amid reports on Sunday that a provisional deal is potentially in reach for negotiators in Vienna.

Diplomats have missed four deadlines for a final pact, now due on Monday.

Congress additionally has 60 days to review any deal following the repeated delays.

Menendez said Sunday that he plans on evaluating the pact’s details fairly once he sees them.

“I’ll judge the agreement based on what it is,” said Menendez, who is undergoing a federal probe on corruption charges.

“But we have to make very clear that there is a deterrence in the longer term because, if not, in 12, 13 years, we will be exactly back to where we are today,” he said.

“Except that Iran will have $100 billion to $150 billion in its pocket and is promoting its terrorism throughout the Middle East,” he added.

The Obama administration is hoping Iran will slow or stop its atomic weapons research in exchange for economic sanctions relief.

Secretary of State John Kerry is leading the U.S. and its allies at the bargaining table with Iran this weekend in Vienna.