A bipartisan pair of US senators is pledging a “rigorous” oversight of the Iran nuclear deal before the agreement is formally implemented.
Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of Foreign Relations Committee, and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, the committee’s ranking member, recently sent a letter to US President Barack Obama outlining their plan for probing the deal and asking that top administration officials agree to testify before the Foreign Relations Committee, the Hill reported.
“As the [deal] 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,” the senators wrote.
According to the letter, the senators are expected to hold a hearing this month to discuss the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report on the possible previous military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran says is totally for peaceful applications.
In January, they are planning to hold a hearing on Iran’s compliance with the agreement and the country’s ballistic missile program. They are requesting testimony from Stephen Mull, the lead coordinator for implementing the deal, as well as the State Department’s top official for political affairs.
They will also hold a hearing on the deal on Implementation Day. While that date has not been determined, it is expected to take place by mid-2016. Corker and Cardin note that they want Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to testify at that time.
The committee’s oversight of the deal will continue after it has been implemented, with the senators noting that they will expect monthly briefings for Foreign Relations Committee staff and a briefing four times a year for lawmakers.
Senate Democrats twice blocked a resolution of disapproval of the Iran nuclear deal from getting a final vote earlier this year.
