Scrutiny builds over Iran deal kept from lawmakers
Both Republicans and Democrats are calling for the White House to show them the deal.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would send his preliminary Iran deal to Congress for review, setting up a possible showdown with lawmakers who are demanding a vote on a text they haven’t been permitted to see.
“I like the idea. Send it to Congress, please,” Trump said on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Evian, France. “I mean, who wouldn’t approve it?”
The two sides reached a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that US and Iranian officials say would formally extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the US naval blockade and establish a 60-day framework for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
The text hasn’t been released, even to senior lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Tuesday that he hasn’t seen the MoU, nor has he been briefed on it.
