| 3.23.22

Should Congress Have The Ultimate Power To Approve (Or Reject) The Iran Nuclear Deal? (S. 615)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is S. 615?

(Updated January 12, 2021)

This bill would require the President — within five calendar days of reaching an agreement with Iran relating to their nuclear program — to submit the text of the agreement and all related materials to relevant congressional committees.

Foreign Relations/Affairs Committees from both the House and the Senate would hold hearings and briefings as necessary to review the agreement during the 60-day period following the President’s delivery.

Throughout this 60-day review period, the President would be prohibited from waiving, reducing, or limiting in any way the current sanctions on Iran. Actions specified in the agreement could only be taken if Congress adopts a resolution favoring the agreement. The deal could not go through if Congress develops a resolution to oppose it.

If Congress fails to pass a joint resolution either favoring or opposing the agreement, only actions authorized by existing law would be permitted.

Argument in favor

The President and Congress need to demonstrate unity in opposition to Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. Approving this bill would make that message clear.

Argument opposed

This legislation would undercut the President’s leverage in negotiating with Iran, and would make it less likely that any agreement is reached.

Impact

Iran's nuclear program, U.S./Iran diplomatic relations, Iranian citizens, American-Iranians, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the IAEA, the Secretary of State, and the President.

Cost of S. 615

In it's cost estimate for this bill, the CBO acknowledged that delaying (or offering) Iran sanction relief could impact the federal budget. That said, the CBO also noted that it has no way to determine when or if an agreement will be reached, and how the President would use sanctions in the deal. It thus concedes that they have no way of knowing how a deal, and this bill would impact the budget.

Additional Info

Of Note:

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint meeting of Congress in early 2015 ignited debate about the potential terms of an agreement with Iran on their nuclear program. Negotiations between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the U.S) are ongoing, but elements of the existing framework have a deadline in June 2015.

Ten Democratic Senators have written a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) objecting to the fast-tracking of this bill — bypassing the committee process and to get bring it to a vote sooner. Just to give you some context, several of those Democratic Senators who oppose McConnell’s action are sponsors of the bill.

For its part, Iran has taken some provocative actions that could call into question their sincerity in honoring an agreement. Iran recently tested what it claims to have been an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of reaching beyond Europe, which could deliver a small warhead. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — Iran’s military — destroyed a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier with its anti-ship missiles in the Strait of Hormuz in late February 2015.

In-Depth:

If passed, the President would certify that the agreement includes the terms, conditions, and duration of all requirements related to Iran’s nuclear activities. In addition, the President would describe sanctions that would be waived by the U.S. and other nations or entities (like the UN).

A determination would be included by the President that the agreement satisfies non-proliferation objectives, doesn’t jeopardize national security, and provides a framework to ensure that Iran’s nuclear activities will not be military-related.

The Secretary of State would be required to submit a report to the congressional committees describing how strongly the Secretary can verify that Iran is complying with its agreement obligations. The Secretary must also verify that the safeguards put in place to prevent Iran from conducting military-related nuclear activities are sufficient. Assessments of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) verification requirements of the agreement would also be included in this report.

If any breach of the nuclear agreement occurs, the President will be required to submit a report to the relevant congressional committees within 10 days. This report would include a description of the breach, and the status of any corrective action taken by Iran.

Within 180 days of the agreement, the President would have to submit a report on the progress of the Iran agreement. This, and subsequent reports would include information related to breaches, the IAEA’s enforcement progress, and assessments of whether Iran has supported or perpetrated acts of terrorism against the U.S. or its citizens.