fbpx

News

US Senate passes Iran nuclear review bill to hand Congress oversight

[ssba]

The United States Senate yesterday overwhelmingly approved a bill which would hand Congress oversight on a nascent nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany).

Iran and the P5+1 agreed a framework to a comprehensive deal last month, paving the way for negotiations to begin towards a long-term accord, which must be agreed by June. However, the outline has been heavily criticised by Israeli leaders, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but also the opposition Zionist Union.

The emerging deal has also been greeted with great scepticism by some members of the US Congress, who believe it will not effectively thwart Iran’s nuclear armament. They have threatened to refuse to drop Congressional-approved sanctions on Iran, which would hugely undermine any deal. A compromise bill was therefore agreed several weeks ago, which requires President Obama to send Congress the text of a final deal as soon as it is completed, allowing Congress 30 days to review and respond. The bill also mandates that the White House send Congress regular reports on issues including Iran’s support for terrorism, ballistic missiles and nuclear programme.

Yesterday, the bill itself was approved by the US Senate by a vote of 98 to one and it is set to be considered next week by the US House of Representatives with similar passage expected. If it does pass, the legislation will allow Congress to pass a resolution disapproving the deal, which President Obama can veto. However, a two-thirds Congressional majority would override the veto and throw a nuclear accord into some doubt.

Meanwhile, delegations from Iran and the P5+1 will meet again for the latest round of talks on a comprehensive deal next Friday in Vienna. These negotiations will be preceded by three days of talks between Iranian and European Union officials.