Bipartisan Senate Group Urge Biden to Deter Iran

 Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (L) and Republican Lindsey Graham (AFP/File photos)
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (L) and Republican Lindsey Graham (AFP/File photos)
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Bipartisan Senate Group Urge Biden to Deter Iran

 Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (L) and Republican Lindsey Graham (AFP/File photos)
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (L) and Republican Lindsey Graham (AFP/File photos)

A group of Republican and Democratic senators sent Thursday a letter to President Joe Biden outlining the need to use the full force of Washington’s diplomatic and economic tools to reach an agreement that prevents Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons and constrains its destabilizing activity throughout the Middle East.

“Democrats and Republicans may have tactical differences, but we are united on preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon and addressing the wide range of illicit Iranian behavior,” the senators wrote in a letter led by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Mendez and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Signed by 43 Senators, the letter came as the Democrat Biden’s administration explores ways to restore the nuclear pact that Iran signed with the US and other world powers, but was abandoned in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump.

While recognizing their differing views on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of 2015, the Senators who signed the letter said the US must confront the reality that Iran has accelerated its nuclear activity in alarming ways including increasing its centrifuge research and production and enriching uranium up to 20 percent.

The signatories also agreed that outside of its nuclear program, Iran continues to pose a threat to US and international security through exporting arms, including highly accurate missiles, supporting militias that target US service members, and supporting terrorist organizations and other malign actors throughout the region.

The letter also echoed concern about Iran’s continued human rights abuses of its citizens and the increasing size and capabilities of its ballistic and cruise missile programs.



Iran Says Fire Contained after Deadly Blast at Key Port

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
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Iran Says Fire Contained after Deadly Blast at Key Port

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)

Firefighters have brought under control a blaze at Iran's main port, following a deadly explosion blamed on negligence, authorities said.

The explosion, heard dozens of kilometers (miles) away, hit a dock at the southern port of Shahid Rajaee on Saturday.

At least 70 people were killed and more than 1,000 others suffered injuries in the blast and ensuing fire, which also caused extensive damage, state media reported.

Red Crescent official Mokhtar Salahshour told the channel late Monday that the fire had been "contained" and a clean-up was under way.

State television aired live footage on Tuesday showing thick smoke rising from stacked containers.

Iran's ILNA news agency quoted Hossein Zafari, spokesman for the country's crisis management organization, as saying the situation had improved significantly since Monday.

However, "the operation and complete extinguishing process may take around 15 to 20 days", the agency reported.

Iran's customs authority said port operations had returned to normal, according to the IRNA news agency.

The port of Shahid Rajaee lies near the major coastal city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.

Hormozgan provincial governor Mohammad Ashouri ruled out sabotage.

"The set of hypotheses and investigations carried out during the process indicated that the sabotage theory lacks basis or relevance," he told state television late Monday.

The port´s customs office said the blast may have started in a depot storing hazardous and chemical materials.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said there were "shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence".

A committee assigned to investigate the blast cited similar factors as the likely cause.