Obama calls senators for Iran deal support

WASHINGTON – Democratic senators are intent on changing a bill that would give Congress a say in an emerging nuclear deal with Iran – tweaks that could make it more palatable to President Barack Obama, who called two key senators on Wednesday to lobby against undermining diplomatic efforts to end a standoff with Tehran.

The president’s calls to Republican Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, were the latest consultations in the White House’s robust lobbying campaign to convince Congress that an international framework agreement reached last week is the best way to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“I am trying to bridge the differences here – not that I feel I’ll be able to get the president as a cheerleader to the bill but try to deal with some legitimate concerns,” Cardin said in an interview.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Cardin, a thoughtful and principled lawmaker and longstanding foreign policy expert,” in his role as ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman. “The president raised with Senator Cardin the importance of ensuring that our negotiating team has the space they need to achieve and implement a good deal that verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

Cardin, who spoke with the president for about 15 minutes, said he hopes an amended bill can carry out two purposes: provide Congress with an orderly way to review any final agreement reached with Iran and mandate periodic reports on compliance so Congress can take action if Iran violates a final deal – if it can be reached.

Obama has threatened to veto the bill, which was introduced by Corker of Tennessee and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.

Standing by the president, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi voiced her opposition to the Corker-Menendez bill, saying it undermines the ongoing nuclear negotiations and constructs an “unnecessary hurdle to achieving a strong, final agreement.”

“To force Congress to weigh in now on the Iran nuclear talks before a final deal has been completed would be a reckless rush to judgment,” Pelosi said, adding that more than 50 foreign policy and military leaders have urged Congress not to take any action that would impede progress toward reaching a final deal.

Whether the measure could garner a two-thirds majority in the full Senate to override a presidential veto is not known, but it’s clear there is bipartisan support for finding a way for Congress to weigh in on any deal, regardless of whether the White House wants it to or not.