Getting the Agreement with Iran Approved

For John, BLUF:  Pick your fights.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I am in favor of the US Congress passing the recently negotiated nuclear deal with Iran, but the President, the Secretary of State and Iran are making it hard.  Our Nation's Capitol probably hasn't seen a mess like this since President Woodrow Wilson tried to get the Peace Treaty with Germany ratified by the US Senate.  This article, in the Washington Free Beacon is headlined "Iran:  U.S. Banned from Knowing Details of Iran Nuclear Inspection Agreement".  The reporter is Mr Adam Kredo.  The sub-headline is "Congress demands Obama release secret documents".  Not likely to happen.

Here is the lede:

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the nuclear inspection organization is barred from revealing to the United States any details of deals it has inked with Tehran to inspect its contested nuclear program going forward, according to regional reports.

Recent disclosures by Iran indicate that the recently inked nuclear accord includes a series of side deals on critical inspections regimes that are neither public nor subject to review by the United States.

Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador and permanent envoy to the IAEA, stated over the weekend that no country is permitted to know the details of future inspections conducted by the IAEA.  In addition, no U.S. inspectors will be permitted to enter Iran’s nuclear sites.

“The provisions of a deal to which the IAEA and a second country are parties are confidential and should not be divulged to any third country, and as Mr. Kerry discussed it in the Congress, even the U.S. government had not been informed about the deal between IAEA and Iran,” Najafi was quoted as saying by Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

Due to the secretive nature of these agreements, IAEA officials vising with lawmakers are barred from revealing to them the details of future inspections.

The revelation has rattled lawmakers on Capitol Hill, several of whom are now rallying colleagues to sign a letter to President Barack Obama protesting these so-called side deals.

One thing for those saying no to keep in mind is that there will not be a new round of negotiations, wherein the US and the World come out with a better deal.  This is it.

Regards  —  Cliff