GOP Hawkish On Iran Despite Steps To Convert Enriched Uranium

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VT) has joined a growing list of Republican lawmakers who have officially supported a resolution that would bar the US from entering into a new nuclear deal with Iran.

• Wittman said: 'Proud to join my colleagues on this Resolution calling on President Biden to halt JCPOA negotiations with Iran. We cannot afford to re-enter an already failed deal that will only embolden the Iranian regime and serve the terms of Vladimir Putin.'
• Earlier today Bloomberg reported that Iran has started converting a third of its highly enriched uranium stockpile into material used to produce medical isotopes.
• Bloomberg: 'International Atomic Energy Agency monitors verified that Iran began on March 11 irradiating part of its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% to produce molybdenum targets, according to a two-page restricted document circulated late Wednesday among diplomats in Vienna and seen by Bloomberg. The process renders the material useless for weapons.'
• This appears to follow a number of positive steps taken by Tehran this week, including the release of high profile British prisoners, to reduce tensions which had ratcheted up over the final stages of the JCPOA talks.