Corker says US support for UN Iran vote ‘contrary to spirit of law’

WASHINGTON — US Senator Bob Corker, the sponsor of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, complains that the Obama administration’s decision to endorse a Security Council vote on Iran runs “contrary to the spirit” of the legislation that he authored and the president signed into law late this spring.

“It is inappropriate to commit the United States to meet certain international obligations without even knowing if Congress and the American people approve or disapprove of the Iran agreement,” Corker complains in a statement issued early Monday afternoon.

Corker’s statement comes after Obama welcomed the unanimous passage of a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the Iranian nuclear agreement and clearing a path to remove sanctions against Tehran. Some in Congress have argued that since many of the US sanctions against Iran were passed by Congress, only Congress — and not the president — has the authority to remove them.

— Rebecca Shimoni Stoil