U.S. Congress must review any agreement the U.S. and other world powers may reach with the Iranian regime on curbing its nuclear program, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Sunday.
Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey said he has “real concerns” over the talks and that he wouldn’t support any deal that leaves Iran a “threshold nuclear” state, according to Bloomberg.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker has said the panel will consider legislation on April 14 that he is co-sponsoring with Menendez, which would allow Congress to review and approve a final agreement.
“This bill is a good bill and I’d hoped the administration would have supported it,” Menendez said Sunday at a synagogue in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. “We are going to have to see what the agreement is and what are the mechanisms for verification. There needs to be a very robust inspection.”
On Sunday, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said Congress will move “very” quickly to impose new sanctions against Iran if President Barack Obama isn’t able to strike a deal to thwart the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions.
And the Ohio Republican said he isn’t optimistic that Iran will keep its word even if Obama and several other leading countries do reach a deal with Iran.
His comments came during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.
“I just don’t understand why we would sign an agreement with a group of people who, in my opinion, have no intention of keeping their word,” Boehner said.
Asked how quickly the House would move to further sanctions against Iran if no deal is reached, Boehner responded: “Very.”
