Senate majority leader says Iran deal will be ‘hard sell’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other congressional leaders express doubts Sunday about a historic agreement with Iran to address that country’s nuclear program, predicting US President Barack Obama could face hurdles in Congress if negotiators reach a final deal.

“This is going to be a very hard sell for the administration,” McConnell says on “Fox News Sunday” when asked about the likelihood of Congress signing off on a deal.

Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says lawmakers would review any agreement carefully to ensure the Iranians are held accountable and that any violations can be enforced.

“At the end of the day I think people understand that if this is a bad deal that is going to allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, they would own this deal if they voted for it, and so they’ll want to disapprove it,” says Corker, R-Tenn. “On the other hand, if we feel like we’re better off with it, people will look to approve it.”

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the pending deal made him anxious because the US has gone from making sure Iran does not have nuclear capability to managing it.

Menendez says he would judge the agreement when he has all the elements but says Obama needs to make very clear to Iran that there’s a longer term deterrence, “because in 12 to 13 years we will be exactly back to where we are today except that Iran will have $100 (billion) to $150 billion more in its pocket and promoting terrorism throughout the Middle East.”

— AP