Critics make last-ditch effort to hamper Iranian deal
US skeptics are putting maximum pressure on negotiators ahead of June 30 deadline.
WASHINGTON — Skeptics of the Obama administration’s nuclear talks with Iran are bringing maximum pressure to bear on negotiators ahead of the June 30 deadline for a deal.
Key players both on and off Capitol Hill are raising their voices in the hopes of preventing what they say would be unacceptable concessions. Their statements suggest that a final agreement may yet attract broad bipartisan support, even as more conservative groups are already actively seeking to kill any deal.
“I think it would be incredibly irresponsible for us not to be raising concerns now and instead wait until a deal has hatched,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told Al-Monitor.
Corker has been holding hearings for the past month in preparation for a possible congressional vote to approve or reject a final deal this summer. If Congress rejects a deal with enough votes to overcome a presidential veto, it would bar President Barack Obama from lifting legislative sanctions and could kill the agreement.
