Senators plan aggressive oversight of Iran deal

By Charles Hoskinson, Charles Hoskinson

Published December 20, 2015

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans a "rigorous program" of hearings and classified briefings to ensure Iran honors its nuclear deal with world powers and the Obama administration holds Tehran's feet to the fire.

In a letter Thursday to President Obama, Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and ranking Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland said they plan to call Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to testify on the deal's implementation, along with other administration officials.

"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 as well as its regional and nonproliferation implications," they wrote. "We hope that your administration will remain committed to engaging Congress going forward."

The first hearing will take place this month on an International Atomic Energy Agency report that found that Iran had tested basic components of a nuclear weapon and planned to build one before work on the project ended in 2009. The report issued Wednesday by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog is expected to formally close the agency's inquiry into Iran's past weapons work, opening the door to relief for Tehran from international sanctions that have crippled its economy.