A member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said the deal on Tehran’s nuclear program should pass parliament before it can be put into effect.
Referring to the nuclear agreement forged with the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) last week in Vienna, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said the accord “is sent to the capitals (of the involved parties) to undergo legal procedures.”
“In our country, the text of the deal goes to the Supreme National Security Council and as stipulated in the bill (recently passed by parliament) requiring the government to safeguard nuclear achievements, it will be submitted to the Majlis to be examined and ratified before being sent back to Vienna.”
The US government sent the nuclear agreement to Congress on Sunday. That move means the 60-day clock for the US lawmakers to review the deal starts on Monday.
The process will take about two weeks to complete in Iran, Naqavi Hosseini said, adding, “The question is whether Congress will exhaust the whole review period or it can examine and approve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the official name for the deal) within two weeks.”
The two review measures need to be synchronized, “a problem which the negotiators should deal with,” the lawmaker told ISNA on Monday.
Ultimately, Congress chooses one of three options; it may vote to approve the deal, back a resolution of disapproval or do nothing and allow the pact to take effect.
If a disapproval resolution passes, it would cripple the agreement by barring US President Barack Obama from waiving most US sanctions.
But Obama has promised to veto such a resolution if it reaches his desk.
To override a veto, opponents would need two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate, meaning the deal would be preserved if it is supported by just 34 of the 100 senators.
There are 46 members of the Senate Democratic caucus, including 44 Democrats and two independents.
