Senate

McConnell, Boehner want Obama to hand over Iran ‘side’ deals

by Jordain Carney - 07/22/15 6:16 PM ET

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) want the administration to hand over two “side” deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The two leaders joined Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas) in a letter to Obama on Wednesday asking for the administration to hand over the agreements “immediately.”

{mosads}”The purpose of the Iran Nuclear Agreement review Act is to ensure Congress has a fully informed understanding of the JCPOA,” the letter states, referring tothe Iran deal. “Failure to produce these two side agreements leaves Congress blind on critical information regarding Iran’s potential path to being a nuclear power and will have detrimental consequences for the ability of members to assess the JCPOA.”

The letter comes after National Security Adviser Susan Rice acknowledged the so-called “side” agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Rice said that while the documents are not public, the administration is planning to discuss them with Congress during classified briefings on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, John Kirby, a spokersperson for the State Department, told reporters that the IAEA documents are “not in our posession.”

Cotton, a vocal critic of the Iran talks, has led the Republican push to see the agreements.

He suggested in a separate statement that the deals raise “the question of what other elements may also be secret and entirely free from public scrutiny.”

The push to see the IAEA-Iran agreements come as Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz briefed lawmakers Wednesday in two separate closed-door briefings.

They are also expected to speak before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.

The briefings come after the administration handed over the Iran nuclear agreement to Congress over the weekend, meaning the 60-day congressional review period formally started Monday.

Tags Iran Iran nuclear deal John Boehner Mike Pompeo Mitch McConnell Tom Cotton