News / Politics

House approves Iran legislation, sends it to Obama

Thursday, 14 May 2015 9:25 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 15 May 2015 10:15 AM ]

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) leaves after holding his weekly news conference at the US Capitol Visitors Center May 14, 2015 in Washington, DC. (AFP Photo)

The US House of Representatives has approved legislation, allowing Congress to review any nuclear deal with Iran or potentially reject it.

In a 400-25 vote, the House overwhelmingly passed the legislation on Thursday which was passed a week ago by the US Senate on a 98-to-1 vote.

The bill goes to President Barack Obama in order for him to sign it at the time that Iran and the P5+1 – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – are engaged in intense negotiations to work out a comprehensive agreement aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over the Islamic Republic’s civilian nuclear work.

The White House has previously said that Obama would sign the legislation in its current form into law once it passes the House.

During the House debate on the bill on Thursday, Republicans and even some Democrats said they were skeptical that the Obama Administration could reach a good deal with Iran.

"I fear that the agreement that is coming will be too short, sanctions relief will be too rapid, inspectors will be too restricted,” Rep. Ed Royce, R-California, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said on the House floor.

Also, Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, said "I agree with Secretary Kerry when he says that no deal is better than a bad deal. The question is, we want to make sure a bad deal isn't sold as a good deal. And that's why it's important for Congress to be engaged".

The legislation will allow for a 30-day examination of any final agreement with Iran. During this period, President Obama would be able to waive the Iran sanctions, which were imposed by the executive branch.

However, the president would have to leave in place sanctions that Congress had previously drafted.

The measure would also force the Obama administration to certify, on a regular basis, that Iran is abiding by the terms of nuclear deal.

Iran and the P5+1 along with officials from the European Union reached a landmark framework agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program on April 2 in the Swiss lakeside city of Lausanne.

The two sides are set to start drafting a final accord, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is expected to come until the end of June.

AT/AT

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