Iran nuclear deal faces hurdles in US Congress
 Iranian technicians work at the Isfahan nuclear research facility, 420km south of the capital Tehran. (Source: AFP/VNA) |
In a move reflecting the contentious and skeptical nature within the US surrounding the nuclear deal that the P5+1 group (including the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) just signed with Iran, a number of Republican congressmen have asked the administration of President Barack Obama to provide more documents related to this "historic" agreement.
A VNA reporter in Washington quoted a press release from two influential Republican lawmakers, Congressman Mike Pompeo and Senator Tom Cotton, saying that they went to Vienna, Austria, on July 17.
During the meeting here, officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that two separate agreements signed between Iran and the IAEA, part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are confidential documents and cannot be disclosed to other countries, the US Congress or the public.
The contents of the two secret agreements concern inspections of Iran's Parchin military facility and how the IAEA and Iran will continue to resolve outstanding issues related to the military dimensions of Tehran's nuclear program.
According to a spokesman for Republican Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who sponsored the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, Senators Bob Corker and Ben Cardin sent separate letters to Secretary of State John Kerry, requesting additional text of the two agreements.
The letter from two Republican lawmakers said that providing all documents related to the nuclear deal with Iran is part of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed into law. According to the lawmakers, the White House would be breaking the law if it asked Congress to approve a deal without providing full records and data.
The right to inspect Iran's military facilities is the biggest obstacle that the P5+1 and Iran are said to have overcome to sign the agreement on July 14.
As planned, on July 23, Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will testify before Congress about the agreement with Iran.
The big challenge facing the Obama administration is that on July 22, House Speaker, Republican Representative John Boehner declared that Republican lawmakers who control the majority of both houses of Congress "will do everything possible to block the deal."
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said whether Congress supports the nuclear deal with Iran now depends on the "attitude and cooperation" of the administration./.
(According to VN+)
