so the Iran bill has sailed through committee and looks to have a veto proof majority. It looks like a major blow to the Iran deal, but as usual in Washington, the devil is in the details.
Quote:
The compromise legislation gives Congress 30 days to review a final deal with Iran if it is submitted by July 10, half of the original 60-day review period and eliminates a requirement that the United States certify that Iran is not sponsoring terrorism against Americans.
Though it gives Congress an avenue to reject the lifting of legislative sanctions that will be a key part of any deal with Iran, it explicitly states that Congress does not have to approve the diplomatic deal struck by Iran, the United States and other world powers. It also requires reports on Iran’s human rights record.
But it does not require Tehran to recognize the state of Israel nor does it treat an Iran agreement like a treaty, disappointing Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who had floated those ideas but withheld offering them as amendments. And some Democrats said they will fight to ensure that those provisions don’t end up in the bill when it comes to the Senate floor.
Read more: http://www.politico....l#ixzz3XTkEGhx4
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The key point is the one I bolded, the bill states the agreement is not a "treaty", therefore under the Constitution it does not have to be ratified by the Senate. So any agreement reched by the Obama administration will be binding, the Senate cannot override it, all they can do is decide when U.S. sanctions can be lifted, but that becomes somewhat academic once U.N. sanctions are lifted and the rest of the world is trading with Iran.
Presumably that is why Obama has stated he will not veto the bill. Both sides are happy, the GOP can publicly claim they won and Obama can assure Iran and the other signatories that the Senate cannot reject the deal.