US Senate Passes Bill Giving Congress Right to Review Iran Nuke Deal
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The US Senate passed a bipartisan bill by a 98-1 vote that would give Congress review rights over the White House’s Iran nuclear deal. The bill is expected to pass in the House, and has President Obama’s support.
The White House originally opposed the bill, proposed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker (R-TN), until some of its provisions were revised in a compromise deal with the committee’s ranking democrat, Ben Cardin (D-MD) last month.
The compromise won over enough Democrats that President Obama withdrew his veto threat. The draft bill was approved by the committee unanimously, RT reported.
However, a faction led by Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) attempted to insert a number of amendments into the bill during the floor debate, including a provision requiring Iran to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Several other amendments had already been defeated. One would've classified any nuclear deal as an international treaty requiring the support of two-thirds of the Senate, while another would have denied Iran sanctions relief until it stopped (alleged) supporting terrorism.
Corker defended the compromise, warning that altering the compromise would cause the entire bill to fail, and Congress to lose any right to review the treaty. “Without this bill, there is no review,” he warned.
In the end, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called for cloture, cutting off debate on all further amendments. The chamber voted 96-3 in favor, clearing the way for the final vote, in which Cotton was the lone voice of dissent.
