Republicans push for review of Iran nuclear deal by Congress

The Republican chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee renewed his push for any nuclear deal with Iran to be reviewed by Congress, signalling the hurdles that lie ahead for President Barack Obama as he tries to sell the merits of the framework on a deeply divided Capitol Hill.

Bob Corker, the Tennessee senator, said on Sunday that he would move forward with an April 14 vote by his committee on legislation that would effectively allow Congress to approve or reject a final Iran deal - and which the White House fears could unsettle or even derail the talks.

"The president needs to sell this [deal] to the American people," Mr Corker told Fox News. "The American people want the United States Senate to go through this deal. They understand this is one of the most important geopolitical agreements that will take place during this decade . . . If the president feels like this is something that's good for the nation, surely he can sell this to the United States Senate and the House."

The White House has gone on the offensive to persuade sceptical members of Congress that the framework struck between Iran and six world powers - the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - last week is the best way to check Iran's nuclear ambitions, and is vital to US long-term national security interests.

The administration has warned that congressional action to block or limit a deal would fracture a fragile international unity, and escalate the potential for prolonged military conflict. In his weekly radio address, Mr Obama said "we really only have three options" for tackling Iran's nuclear programme.

Mr Obama said that the option of bombing Iran would "only set its programme back a few years, while starting another war in the Middle East". He said that abandoning negotiations and relying on sanctions was an approach that has "always led to Iran making more progress in its nuclear programme".

The president said that the final option was a "a robust and verifiable deal like this one that peacefully prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon". But he must overcome resistance from Republicans and members of his own party, given staunch opposition from Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister.

"There's still time to get a better deal and apply pressures on Iran to abandon, to roll back its nuclear programme, and to stop its vast aggression in the region," Mr Netanyahu told CNN on Sunday.

Republican leaders believe they can move Mr Corker's legislation quickly through the Senate when lawmakers return from their Easter break next week. However, they would need support from Democratic lawmakers, some of whom have conceded that the framework outlined last week is better than they expected.

Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, pushed back against suggestions by Mr Netanyahu that the deal threatens the survival of Israel.

"I don't think it's helpful for Israel to come out and oppose this one opportunity to change a major dynamic, which is downhill, a downhill dynamic in this part of the world," Ms Feinstein told CNN.

Ms Feinstein said that she had not decided how she would vote on the legislation being pushed by Mr Corker because of possible changes. "I want to be cautious and wait and see what actually comes out of that (foreign relations) committee on to the floor before I really cast my vote."@MeganMurp

@DimiSevastopulo

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