The Hill – 03/16/15 – The Obama administration is entering a critical two-week stretch in its effort to win a historic nuclear deal with Iran.
Negotiators from the U.S., Iran and five other world powers resumed talks in Switzerland on Monday, with optimism running high that a deal will be struck ahead of the late March deadline.
But a number of stumbling blocks remain, including the question of how quickly Iran would be freed from international sanctions that are crippling its economy.
Despite the challenges that remain, close observers expect that the so-called P5+1 group will announce the framework for a deal later this month.
One of the thorniest issues is when the sanctions against Iran will be lifted.
Iranian officials reportedly want all U.S., European Union and United Nations sanctions lifted as soon as a deal is reached, so oil exports can quickly begin. But the U.S. wants to ease sanctions over a longer period of time, with the relief contingent upon Iran abiding by restrictions on its nuclear program and thorough inspections of its nuclear facilities.
If a deal is signed, Iran will have to show “over the longer term” it is honoring the terms before sanctions are lifted, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday.
If Iran violates a deal, Earnest said, “we could snap those sanctions back into place with the stroke of a pen.”
The U.N. Security Council would have to vote to lift sanctions, though Obama or his successor could waive some penalties unilaterally.
Lifting all of the sanctions on Iran would require a vote from Congress, which might not happen for months or even years.
Congressional critics of the potential deal say it will not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, because the country’s nuclear infrastructure will remain intact. They have also criticized Obama for shutting lawmakers out of the process.
Lawmakers are threatening to take matters into their own hands. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and ranking member Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) are proposing a bill that would give Congress 60 days to review a nuclear deal before it goes into effect.
“It appears they want to go straight to the United Nations Security Council and try to bind Congress by going that route,” Corker said on CNBC. “Obviously, we think that’s inappropriate.”