Union Leader - The Right Role for Congress on Iran

Op-Ed

EARLY THIS month, Iran agreed to a "framework" deal to restrict its nuclear program and submit to international inspections. Negotiators now have until June 30 to try to reach a final agreement. At the same time, the Senate has been advancing legislation requiring the President to submit any final agreement to Congress for review.

Congress is divided along partisan lines on many issues, but we are united in our conviction that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that the people's elected representatives should have the opportunity to review any final agreement with Iran.

This bipartisan consensus was reflected in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's unanimous vote on April 14 in favor of legislation requiring the President to submit any final agreement to Congress. Congress would then have 30 days to hear from negotiators and outside experts, and to determine if additional action is warranted -- including a resolution of approval or disapproval.

Such congressional scrutiny is appropriate in this case because the President, in order to implement any agreement with Iran, will need to set aside sanctions put in place by Congress. I also voted for this bill because it reasserts the proper role of Congress in providing oversight of the President's execution of foreign policy.

I continue to believe that the best way to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program is a hard-nosed agreement that cuts off all paths Iran could use to pursue a nuclear weapon. It was therefore crucial for me that the legislation not hinder our negotiators' efforts to reach a strong agreement. I am confident that the bill that passed the Foreign Relations Committee meets that standard.

I applaud the leadership of Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and our committee's senior Democrat, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland. They have been patient but relentless negotiators, and they made constructive compromises to forge a bipartisan bill. It is essential that this spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship continue when the legislation comes before the full Senate, and also if Congress finds itself in a position to review a final agreement.

As the administration works to conclude a final deal with Iran, it is also important that we preserve bipartisanship in Congress vis-à-vis our ally Israel. It would be a serious mistake to attempt to drive a partisan wedge between Democrats and Republicans with regard to Israel. The U.S. and Israel have an unshakeable alliance built on shared values, shared interests and mutual trust. At a time when the challenge of Iran is testing the resilience of this alliance, our two countries must reject any efforts to divide us or use the relationship for political gain.

We are confronted by a dangerous and unacceptable status quo. Iran currently has 19,000 centrifuges, plus the know-how and the stockpile to produce enough highly-enriched uranium for a weapon in two to three months if it chose to do so. While crucial details still need to be finalized, Iran has agreed that under a final deal it will cut the number of centrifuges to nearly 5,000, reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium from 10 tons to 300 kilograms, and extend the "breakout time" it would need to produce enough highly-enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon to at least one year, sufficient time for the United States to mount a forceful response. These commitments would be verified by the most intrusive inspections regime ever negotiated.

It remains to be seen if Iran is prepared to make the additional concessions necessary to conclude a good agreement. And I agree with the President that no agreement is better than a bad agreement. But the benefits of a strong final deal could be significant. Such a deal would stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and ensure that it cannot pursue destabilizing activities in the region with impunity; it would prevent a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and advance greater long-term security for our regional allies.

That's why, even as Congress reaffirms its role in reviewing any final agreement, we need to give the administration and its international partners every opportunity to bring these difficult negotiations to a successful conclusion. With so much at stake for the United States, Israel and the entire world, we have got to get this agreement right.

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