US Senate passes bill to review Iran nuclear deal

The US Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday for a bill to give Congress a chance to approve or reject a nuclear deal with Iran, in a rare moment of bipartisan unity.

The bill passed by 98-1 after several Republican senators were blocked by the party leadership in their efforts to insert amendments that were strongly opposed by the White House. If a similar text ends up being approved by the House, the legislation would give Congress a role in approving a final Iran deal but does not include earlier provisions that the White House had considered to be "poison pills" for the negotiations.

The White House had initially said it would veto an earlier version of the bill but withdrew the threat after a compromise emerged from committee with strong backing from both parties.

Although the administration does not welcome the idea of Congress weighing in on a final deal with Iran, officials are confident that there is not a two-thirds majority in the Senate to block any agreement.

"Without this bill, there is no review," said Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee and is the bill's main author.

He has been criticised by some fellow Republicans for allowing too many concessions in order to win Democratic support.

After Iran and world powers announced a "framework" deal in March, negotiators set a deadline of the end of June to reach a final agreement.

The deal would place strict limits on Iran's nuclear programme for at least a decade, in return for sanctions being removed.

The strong support for the bill underlines broad wariness in Congress about the nuclear talks with Tehran.

Iran has been one of the few subjects that has managed to generate broad bipartisan backing for legislation.

Supporters of the bill have described it as an effort by Congress to play its proper role in an area of foreign policy that the administration has made one of its top priorities.

However, Congress has been much more reluctant to get involved in the decision to launch military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis). Nine months after air strikes began, the legislature has yet to vote on the administration's request for a new congressional authorisation.

The Senate voted on the bill on Thursday after a week-long procedural skirmish between the Republican leadership and younger, conservative members who wanted to insert tougher language in the legislation.

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Mr Rubio and another Republican senator, Tom Cotton, tried to use a procedure to force a vote on that and other amendments but were blocked by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

"I am disappointed by the direction this debate has taken," Mr Rubio said. Mr Cotton was the only senator to vote against the legislation.

"Many wish the bill was stronger. I don't disagree with them but this is a piece of legislation worthy of our support," Mr McConnell said on Wednesday. "It offers the best chance we have to provide the American people and the Congress they elect with power to weigh in on a vital issue."

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