Lawmakers Seek Details as Trump Considers Sending Iran Nuclear Deal to Congress
By Patricia Zengerle
Congressional Review and Uncertainty Over Iran Nuclear Deal
Background of the U.S.-Iran Agreement
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was willing to send his interim deal to end the war with Iran for review by the U.S. Congress, as lawmakers, including many of his fellow Republicans, said they were largely in the dark about the pact.
The U.S.-Iran agreement, announced on Sunday, has spurred optimism that a conflict that has killed thousands and disrupted the global economy will soon end.
According to officials from both countries, the memorandum of understanding would extend a tenuous ceasefire announced in April by another 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route effectively blocked since the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.
But the details remain unclear and the text of the pact has not been released or sent to Congress.
Trump's Stance and Iran's Nuclear Program
Trump also insisted on Tuesday that Iran would abandon its nuclear weapons program. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Democrats have questioned Trump's latest promise of a peace deal.
Democratic Response and Calls for Transparency
"We've been told dozens of times that the war is over and dozens of times we've been disappointed," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said as he opened the Senate session on Tuesday.
"It's been two days since Trump claimed he had reached an 'understanding' with Iran and he still hasn't released any details... about what it actually is," Schumer said.
Schumer called on the Trump administration to hold a classified briefing for Congress' "Gang of Eight," a group of intelligence committee and congressional leaders typically briefed on major national security developments.
Schumer also said officials should brief the entire Congress, and inform the American people.
No plans for any such events have been released.
Presidential Comments and Legal Considerations
Trump's Remarks on Congressional Review
'I LIKE THE IDEA'
Trump told reporters in France that he had not thought about sending the memorandum of understanding with Iran to Congress for review but that he would do it. "I like the idea," he said during his meeting with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of the G7.
Trump said he wanted to wait until after a formal signing ceremony expected on Friday.
Legal Obligations Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act
Trump could be legally obligated to involve Congress. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, a 2015 U.S. law passed as Democratic President Barack Obama's administration finalized an Iran nuclear agreement, any such agreement must be submitted to Congress for review before sanctions can be eased.
That review leaves open the possibility that lawmakers could try to block parts of the deal.
Congressional Dynamics and Reactions
Republican and Democratic Positions
Some Republican lawmakers have been willing to break with the president, voting with Democrats, unsuccessfully, to force Trump to seek congressional approval for the Iran war. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war.
But most Republicans, who hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, have shown little appetite during Trump's second term for challenging his foreign policy.
Requests for Information from the Administration
Senator John Thune's Comments
Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the Senate's Republican leader, told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that party members were pressing Trump to provide the text of the MOU.
"We're trying to get it," he said, acknowledging that it is unusual for an administration not to share information about such a major development with its own party.
"Since I've been in this job, we haven't had this issue," Thune said.
Other Republican Responses
Other Republicans joined Democrats in expressing frustration at the lack of information.
"If it's a secret deal, then how can I take it seriously?" Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters on Monday evening.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Don Durfee and Sanjeev Miglani)
