http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/238022-mcconnell-senate-will-respond-to-iran-dealApril 06, 2015, 04:24 pm
McConnell: Senate will respond to Iran deal
By Jordain Carney
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday vowed that lawmakers would respond to a framework deal on Iran's nuclear program.
"The Senate will review these parameters more thoroughly," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement, "and respond legislatively."
McConnell suggested that the Senate's response would be action on legislation from Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).
The senators' proposal would require any deal on Iran's program to be reviewed by Congress. President Obama wouldn't be able to roll back sanctions on Iran for roughly two months while lawmakers debate the deal.
The Foreign Relations Committee, led by Corker, is expected to vote on that legislation early next week.
McConnell said under the framework of the nuclear deal announced last week, Iran would be able to continue uranium enrichment, keep thousands of centrifuges and continue its research and development.
The Kentucky Republican said "under no terms" should sanctions be lifted until Iran fully details any military-related research on nuclear weapons.
"Under no terms should the administration suspend sanctions," he said. "Nor should the United Nations remove sanctions until the Iranians reveal all aspects of the Possible Military Dimensions of its previous research."
"The administration needs to explain to the Congress and the American people why an interim agreement should result in reduced pressure on the world's leading state sponsor of terror," he said.
The Obama administration is in the midst of an aggressive sales pitch to brief lawmakers and sell them on the framework deal. The outreach included a call between Obama and McConnell on Friday.
Administration officials have suggested that if Congress scuttles a deal while the negotiations are ongoing, it could increase the chances of military action. McConnell rejected that argument.
"The choice is not between recognizing Iran as a threshold nuclear state or going to war," he said. "Instead the administration should have made clear to the Iranians that additional sanctions and a credible military threat awaited further delay and intransigence."
Most Republicans have voiced skepticism about the outlines of the agreement. Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.) slammed the deal last week.
Rubio, a potential 2016 contender, said he is worried the framework deal "will have devastating consequences."
