News / Foreign Policy

2 US senators want 'rigorous' oversight of Iran agreement

Friday, 04 December 2015 2:12 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 04 December 2015 2:16 PM ]

US Senators Bob Corker (left), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin, the committee's ranking member

Two hawkish US senators are vowing to have a "rigorous" oversight of the Iran nuclear accord -- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- before it is formally implemented.

Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the committee's ranking member, wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday providing outlines of their plan for probing the agreement, which was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany – in Vienna, Austria, on July 14.

Under the agreement, Iran has been recognized by the United Nations as a nuclear power, and it will continue its uranium enrichment program, but some restrictions will be placed on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions.

Most Republicans and some pro-Israeli Democrats oppose the agreement because they say it gives too many concessions to Iran and threatens the security of the Zionist regime, a major US ally in the Middle East.

According to the letter, Senator Corker and Cardin also called on top Obama administration officials agree to testify once again before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the Iran nuclear agreement.

"As the [agreement] with Iran moves toward Implementation Day, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will initiate a rigorous program to ensure effective Congressional monitoring and oversight of this agreement as well as its regional and nonproliferation implications," the senators wrote.

The senators are pushing to have a Senate hearing this month to discuss the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s latest report about Iran’s nuclear program.

On Wednesday, the US State Department said it is ready to take the next steps towards the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement following the report by IAEA stating that it has found no indications of possible military dimensions (PMD) in Tehran's nuclear program.

“The IAEA has confirmed that Iran met its commitments to provide responses to IAEA requests under the roadmap for clarification of past and present issues," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

However, the Israel lobby in the United States is still attempting to undermine the historic accord, despite the fact that President Obama has called on the opponents of the nuclear agreement to evaluate it based on facts.

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