Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional leaders expressed doubts today about a historic agreement with Iran to address that country's nuclear program, predicting President Barack Obama could face hurdles in Congress if negotiators reach a final deal.
McConnell spoke minutes after diplomats said today that negotiators at the Iran nuclear talks were expected to reach a provisional agreement to curb the country's atomic program in return for tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
Secretary of State John Kerry has been leading the US delegation in the talks in Vienna, which aim to impose long-term, verifiable limits on Tehran's nuclear programs.
"This is going to be a very hard sell for the administration," McConnell said on 'Fox News Sunday' when asked about the likelihood of Congress signing off on a deal.
Obama has come under criticism from members of Congress and some US allies in the Middle East who say the administration has conceded too much in the Iran talks. Iran has denied any nuclear weapons ambitions and said its program is intended for supplying domestic energy and other peaceful purposes.
The current negotiations have run more than two weeks and blown through three deadlines. Because the talks are in overtime, Congress will have 60 days to assess the deal, requiring Obama to await that review before easing sanctions agreed to in a deal.
During those two months, lawmakers could try to build a veto-proof majority behind new legislation that could impose new sanctions on Iran or prevent Obama from suspending existing ones.
Sen Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said lawmakers would review any agreement carefully to ensure the Iranians are held accountable and that any violations can be enforced.
"At the end of the day I think people understand that if this is a bad deal that is going to allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, they would own this deal if they voted for it, and so they'll want to disapprove it. On the other hand, if we feel like we're better off with it, people will look to approve it," said Corker.
