NPR reports on a Congressional deal to permit it to oversee the Iran Deal, earlier covered here:
The Associated Press explains the compromise reached Tuesday in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
“The bill that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was to vote on later in the day would have given Congress 60 days to review any final deal. During that time, Obama could lift sanctions imposed through presidential action, but would be prevented from easing any sanctions levied by Congress.
“Under the compromise, the congressional review period would be shortened. There would be a 30-day initial congressional review period. Twelve more days would be added if Congress passed a bill and sent it to the president. There would be additional 10 days during which the president could veto it — something he has already threatened to do.
“Moreover, if the deal is submitted after July 9 — a short time after the final agreement is to be reached on June 30 — the review period would revert to 60 days. Under the compromise bill, the president would be required to certify to Congress every 90 days that Iran is complying with terms of any final agreement.”
Joshua Keating at Slate believes this could kill the entire negotiation:
Assuming that the final deal looks like the description the administration released earlier in April, the Corker bill should be a brief hindrance rather than an existential delay. Some Democrats may want to ensure that Congress plays a role in approving the deal, but they, or at least a veto-proof number of them, are unlikely to vote to kill a deal that includes the Iranian concessions currently on the table. And P5+1 diplomats have said they don’t intend for sanctions to be lifted until the International Atomic Energy Agency can certify that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the agreement. That process could take up to six months, after the June 30 agreement, so two months of congressional review shouldn’t be an issue.
The problem—and a much bigger issue for Obama than Congress—is that it’s not clear the Iranians see it that way. The language on the pace of sanctions relief was left deliberately vague in the framework agreement this month, and the U.S. and Iran almost immediately began squabbling about whether relief would be gradual or immediate. There ought to be a way to thread that needle—sanctions could be “immediately” lifted upon IAEA certification, for instance—and ideally the two sides could work this out in the next round of talks, due to begin in about a week. Unfortunately, recent high-profile statements from President Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have made clear that when the Iranians say “immediate,” they mean the day the deal is signed—exactly what the Corker legislation is meant to prevent.
What I have not seen addressed in these news reports is whether or not it’s even legal for Congress to pass such a law. There are many limitations on Congress, and foreign relations and negotiations have always been the purview of the President, while final approval is reserved to the Senate.
