Senators to vote on compromise Iran bill

Washington (AP) — Republican and Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reached a compromise Tuesday on a bill that would give Congress a say on an emerging deal to curb Iran's nuclear program.

The compromise came as Secretary of State John Kerry and other members of the Cabinet visited Capitol Hill for a second straight day to sell lawmakers on conditions of the prospective final deal and to plead for time to reach an accord with Tehran by the end of June.

President Barack Obama, who wants a deal with Iran to burnish his foreign policy legacy, has been in a standoff for months with lawmakers who not only believe that Congress should have an opportunity to weigh in, but remain skeptical that Iran will honor any agreement.

The bill that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was to vote on later in the day would have given Congress 60 days to review a deal designed to provide sanctions relief to Tehran in exchange for language preventing it from being able to develop nuclear weapons. During that time, Obama could lift sanctions imposed through presidential action, but would be prevented from easing any sanctions levied by Congress.

Under a compromise, the congressional review period would be shortened. Congress would have 52 days to review a final deal. Obama still would be blocked from waiving any congressionally mandated sanctions during that time. There would be a 30-day initial congressional review period. Twelve more days would be added if Congress passed a bill and sent it to the president. There would be additional 10 days during which the president could veto it — something he has already threatened to do.

Moreover, if the deal is submitted after July 9 — a short time after the final agreement is to be reached on June 30 — the review period would revert to 60 days. Under the compromise bill, the president would be required to certify to Congress every 90 days that Iran is complying with terms of any final agreement.

The details were provided by a congressional staffer who was authorized to publicly disclose details of the deal and spoke on condition of anonymity.

There is strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for Congress to review any deal that the U.S. and five other nations are able to negotiate with Iran. And many remain wary that any deal will eventually be reached.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: "The American people should have a say."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters, "Congress should absolutely have the opportunity to review this deal. The administration appears to want a deal at any cost."

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Democrats say they will withdraw their support of the legislation if Republicans successfully push amendments that would pull the bill as it's written "sharply to the right." He was referring to amendments proposed by Republicans to make the administration certify that Iran is not supporting terrorism and had publicly renounced its threat to destroy Israel — two hurdles that would be nearly impossible to scale.

Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Russia's agreement to lift a ban on the sale of a missile air-defense system to Iran also has complicated things. He said some of the countries participating in the multinational talks with Tehran "don't necessarily have the same goals, nor the same relationships with Iran.

"Obviously, our quote, quote, quote partner, Russia, is making this very, very difficult," he said.

On the House side, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday he will bring the bill to the floor if the Senate acts on legislation giving Congress the power to review any deal.

Kerry, who played a leading role in getting a framework agreement with Iran last month, personally pleaded with House Republicans and Democrats on Monday to give the Obama administration more time and room to negotiate a final deal. He met with senators on Tuesday.

"We have two and a half months more to negotiate, that's a serious amount of time with some serious business left to do," Kerry told reporters outside a congressional auditorium where the briefing was held. "We hope Congress listens carefully and asks the questions that it wants. But also give us the space and the time to be able to complete a very difficult task which has high stakes for our country."

Corker appeared Tuesday in an interview on MSNBC.

By Deb Riechmann and Laurie Kellman, Associated Press. Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – April 14, 2015 @ 12pm.