THE TOWER
by Omri Ceren
October 21, 2014

The State Department scrambled on Monday to respond to a weekend New York Times scoop revealing that the Obama administration intends to bypass Congress in reducing sanctions on Iran – the Times‘ exact language was that “President Obama will do everything in his power to avoid letting Congress vote on” an agreement with the Islamic republic – as both lawmakers expressed opposition and journalists pressed for clarification. The Times had quoted a senior official declaring that the White House “wouldn’t seek congressional legislation in any comprehensive agreement for years,” and gestured toward what is expected to be widespread opposition on the Hill to being frozen out:

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat, said over the weekend that, “If a potential deal does not substantially and effectively dismantle Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, I expect Congress will respond. An agreement cannot allow Iran to be a threshold nuclear state.” He has sponsored legislation to tighten sanctions if no agreement is reached by Nov. 24.

Bipartisan majorities of lawmakers have demanded that Congress be given the ability to help shape an acceptable agreement, and most analysts had long assumed that the administration would need to seek legislation rolling back previously passed financial restrictions on Tehran…….

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