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Democrat hawk says he’s sticking by Iran deal after reclaiming top panel spot

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., took back the top spot on the Senate Foreign Relations panel this week after prosecutors dropped corruption charges against him.
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Defenders of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal responded with trepidation to news this week that the Democrats’ staunchest Iran hawk would be reclaiming a top congressional role.

In a hallway interview, however, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., told Al-Monitor that he does not plan to use his perch as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to try to rip up the agreement. Instead, Menendez expressed skepticism about President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from the agreement, even as he himself champions further sanctions against Tehran for its non-nuclear activities.

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