Obama administration officials attended a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Wednesday to defend the recent nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, including the United States. Adam Szubin, the US Treasury Department’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, told the committee it will take at least six to nine months for Iran to fulfill the necessary conditions for initial sanctions relief, Reuters reported. If Iran were to violate its commitments under the deal, US sanctions could be reimposed “in a matter of days,” he said. State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, who was the lead US negotiator during the nuclear talks, told the panel that the military option remains on the table and insisted the deal is the best alternative to war.
