Three top US officials were to face tough questions by the US Senate Committeee on Foreign Relations yesterday about the Iranian nuclear deal, amid deep concern on Capitol Hill that Tehran would try to evade nuclear inspectors and use billions from sanctions relief to further destabilize the Middle East.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew were on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for back-to-back classified briefings in the House and the Senate.
A debate is under way between supporters and the opposition, which includes many Jewish groups that point to Iran’s pledge to destroy Israel. Vote counters are eyeing Democrats, especially those who represent large Jewish constituencies and likely will be lobbied hard to oppose the deal at home during the recess next month.
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Most Democrats — except US Senator Dick Durbin, who announced his support earlier in the week — came out of the classified briefings saying they were still deciding whether to support the agreement, which Congress has 60 days to review.
“I think the deal is a dramatic improvement over the status quo from day 1 through probably year 10 to 15. Thereafter my questions are about our ability to detect cheating after some of the provisions start to expire,” said Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, who sits on the committee.
“I’d be shocked if there’s more than a handful of Republican ‘yes’ votes if there are any at all,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said. “But I’ve talked to most all my colleagues on the Democratic side... I think the administration is one-by-one picking off some of the most important lingering questions from Democrats.”
Murphy, another member of the committee, said he still has questions about whether the inspection protocol would be as rigorous as the administration claims, but that if it is, he would support the deal.
Most Republicans exited the meetings still opposed.
“Iran is a terror-sponsoring anti-American regime,” Republican Representative Tom Cotton said.
“This deal is going to give tens of billions of dollars — at a minimum — without doing anything to rein in their support for terror or their support for America’s enemies,” he said.
Cotton and Republican Representative Mike Pompeo wrote a letter to US President Barack Obama on Wednesday, complaining that the agreement includes two “side deals” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was negotiating separately with Iran — issues that the US Congress has not been privy to.
US Department of State spokesman John Kirby said there were no “side” or “secret” agreements between Iran and the IAEA that the US and the five other world powers have not been briefed on in detail.
“These kinds of technical arrangements with the IAEA are as a matter of standard practice not released publicly,” he said.
The deal does not need congressional approval to take effect, but Republicans are expected to try and sink it with legislation that would block Obama from lifting sanctions imposed by Congress. The president has vowed to veto any such bill, and it would take a two-thirds majority in each house of the Republican-controlled Congress to override him.
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