Senator Marco Rubio demands Iran sanctions details

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has called on the Obama administration to present any letters it sent to foreign governments about what sanctions would be reimposed if Iran violates the July 14 nuclear agreement signed in Vienna.
Rubio, who is running for president, and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday asking the administration to release letters sent to the British, Chinese, French and German governments that “appear to reassure these foreign governments that their companies may not be impacted if sanctions are re-imposed in response to Iranian violations of the agreement.”
“While Administration officials have claimed that this is not the case, we think it is important for the American public to be able to read your assurances to foreign governments for themselves as their elected representatives review this deal in the coming weeks,” the senators said in the letter.
They added that there seem to be “conflicting interpretations” about how foreign companies who invest in Iran would be impacted if the country were to violate the nuclear agreement.
While Treasury Secretary Jack Lew suggested last month during a Foreign Relations Committee hearing that companies would have to cease any business that violated the “snap back” sanctions, Rubio and Kirk said that other interpretations suggest that businesses could be protected from the sanctions under a “grandfather clause.”
Rubio and Kirk also said that “it would also ease congressional review of the deal” if other countries told the administration that they would warn companies about the “inherent risks” of investing in Iran because of its support for terrorism and the potential for sanctions to be reapplied.
Lawmakers have until Sept. 17 to review and vote on the Iran nuclear agreement, with the Senate expected to take up a resolution of disapproval after the August recess.