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U.S. Senate starts debate on bipartisan Iran bill

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U.S. Senators began a debate on the bipartisan Iran bill that would give Congress the authority to review any final nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, aimed at curbing the clerical regime’ nuclear program.

Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) made their opening statements about the proposal on Thursday.

Cardin, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, urged senators to maintain the bipartisan nature of the legislation, which passed unanimously out of the Foreign Relations Committee earlier in April.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a press release on Thursday: “What we do know is that this bipartisan bill is underlined by a solid principle and a lot of hard work. It represents a real opportunity to give the American people more of a say on this important issue.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he plans to offer or support amendments that would require any final deal to be submitted as a treaty to Iran, that would require the administration to submit any breaches of a final deal to Congress — instead of just material breaches — and that Iran wouldn’t get sanctions relief until they “live up to their international obligations”.

Senator Cotton said that includes closing the Fordow site, fulfilling obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the president being able to certify that the country isn’t making intercontinental ballistic missiles and that Iran is no longer a state sponsor of terrorism.

Corker, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who is facing skepticism within his own party over the bill, said that without the legislation, the president can “go straight to the U.N. Security Council … and implement whatever deal he wants to implement with Iran”.

President Obama had initially threatened to veto the bill, but has recently shown willingness to sign it after some changes were made to the legislation.