Obama administration won’t commit to making Iran deal public

Some details of a nuclear deal with Iran may not be made public, a senior Obama administration official said Thursday.

“With regard to whether the agreement will be made public, certainly the core elements will,” Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

{mosads}“I don’t know at this stage, because we don’t know exactly what form any agreement would take, whether certain pieces would be — would remain classified and be subject to classified review, what parts would be public. I can’t tell you at this stage,” he said, in response to questioning from Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch (Fla.).

Blinken’s comments came the same day that administration officials said the emerging nuclear deal would likely allow Iran to have up to 6,000 nuclear centrifuges for at least 10 years. The deal would also lift sanctions on the country.

International negotiators are racing to finish the outlines of a deal before their self-imposed deadline in late March, with Secretary of State John Kerry taking a lead role in the talks.

The administration’s concessions in the talks are being closely watched by Republicans, who fear Obama will strike a bad deal that will preserve Iran’s ability to build a nuclear bomb.

Republicans in the Senate are pushing a bill that would require congressional review of any Iran deal, and are also threatening to move forward with new sanctions.

The White House has said any deal reached with Iran will not require approval from Congress.