US senator says Congress has ‘rightful role’ in any Iran deal

Republican Senator Bob Corker (Tennessee) said he was moving ahead with a bill that would give Congress mandatory review of a nuclear deal with Iran, reiterating his stance that the legislative body should play a “rightful role” in any agreement to curb Tehran’s atomic program.

Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is the coauthor, together with Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, which would require any final agreement with Iran to be submitted to Congress for a 60-day review period before congressionally mandated sanctions on Iran could be waived or suspended by the president.

Although the bipartisan bill has major Congressional support, President Barack Obama has vowed to veto any bill deemed threatening to nuclear negotiations. Congress could override the president’s veto, however they would need a staggering 2/3 majority to do so.

The bill is due to be voted on on April 14, when Congress returns from recess.

Corker told Fox News Sunday that the bill was several votes shy of veto-proof passage.

He also commented on the political framework agreement reached in Switzerland Thursday with Iran, saying: “There’s a lot of water that needs to go under the bridge here. Many, many details are unknown at this point.”

In the interview, Corker suggested the lifting of sanctions was just one of many “red flags” in the framework agreement

“Everyone would say that congressionally mandated sanctions are what helped, in a strong way, get Iran to the table. Certainly, we should approve this deal and we should approve what we see prior to those [sanctions] being lifted,” Corker said.

The senator added that he wanted full disclosure over the inspection process in place for the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN organization tasked with watching over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Speaking with CNN on Sunday, Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA), the leading Democrat in the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, said she would not support the Corker bill in its current form, insisting on maintaining patience throughout the negotiation process.

“My understanding is, there may be changes. So I want to be cautious and wait and see what actually comes out of that committee onto the floor before I really cast my vote,” Feinstein said.

Congress was on recess when news of the Iran deal broke Thursday afternoon, but even back home in distant districts, legislators who opposed the deal promised to take swift action when they return to Washington later this month.

The leader of the US House of Representatives, Republican Speaker John Boehner, said he was concerned about the emerging nuclear agreement and wanted Congress to review details of any pact before sanctions are lifted.

In a written statement, Boehner said his visit to the Middle East this week left him worried about Iran’s efforts to spread terrorism. He said it would be naive to think Tehran won’t use its nuclear program and any easing of economic sanctions “to further destabilize the region.”

Boehner said Thursday’s outline of a deal was “an alarming departure” from the White House’s original goals.

AP contributed to this report