Appearing on CNN’s “Wolf” on Friday, Senator Bob Corker said he expects the Senate to pass his legislation requiring congressional review of any comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran before the president can waive or suspend sanctions imposed by Congress on Iran. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 on April 14.
Senator Corker said, “[W]e want a good deal negotiated.
But before [the Obama administration] starts unraveling the [sanctions on Iran] that Congress put in place, we want to make sure that they show us the deal. I do think we are going to pass a piece of legislation that gives Congress that ability to weigh in on behalf of the American people.”
Senator Corker also expressed concern over the Obama administration’s approach to the Middle East and how this approach is contributing to turmoil in the region as U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, are forced to respond to growing Iranian influence.
“As you see what the White House is doing, they are obviously moving away from Israel toward a relationship with Iran,” he said “And it is very apparent to me what [the Obama administration is] trying to achieve is a balance of power between the Shia sides and the more Sunni-oriented sides…to extract themselves out of the Middle East. The missing component here is that Iran has not changed its behavior. We're seeing right now what's happening in Yemen. We know that if we make a bad [nuclear] deal and [Iran] actually gets to a place where they are one screwdriver turn away from having a nuclear weapon, it creates proliferation possibly in the region. But the other thing is…[Iran’s] economy will be growing and they will have access to the $130 billion right now that is trapped overseas to even more fully destabilize the region.”
The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 would require any final agreement with Iran to be submitted to Congress for a 60-day review period before congressionally-mandated sanctions on Iran could be waived or suspended by the president. The legislation was coauthored by Senators Corker, Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Cosponsors include Senators John McCain (R-Az.), Joe Donnelly (D-In.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Bill Nelson (D- Fl.), Jim Risch (R-Id.), Angus King (I-Me.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Me.), Michael Bennet (D-Co.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.), Dean Heller (R-Ne.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Ben Sasse (R-Ne.).
For text and a summary of the bill, click here.