Senate passes bill giving Congress say over Iran deal

WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve legislation giving Congress the right to vote on a nuclear deal with Iran on Thursday.

The chamber voted 98-1 to pass the bipartisan legislation, with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., voting against it.

Should a nuclear deal with Iran be reached, U.S. President Barack Obama must wait at least 30 days before federally mandated sanctions against Iran can be lifted under the new legislation. Congress would have the ability to vote to prevent the lifting of sanctions.

"Today's overwhelming, bipartisan vote sends a strong signal about the determination of Congress to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which formulated the legislation. "This bill will allow Congress -- on behalf of the American people -- to determine if any final deal is verifiable and enforceable before the president can provide Iran any relief from congressional sanctions. I urge my colleagues in the House to seize this opportunity to give the American people a voice over this consequential issue that could affect generations to come."

The bill now must be approved by the House; Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he would support it.

"This important bipartisan legislation will ensure that Congress has a role in reviewing any potential agreement regarding Iran's nuclear weapons program," he said. "Our goal is to stop a bad agreement that could pave the way to a nuclear-armed Iran, set off a regional nuclear arms race, and strengthen and legitimize the government of Iran -- which threatens Israel and other allies in the region, as well as supports terrorism throughout the Middle East."

In April, Obama said he would sign the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act after it received bipartisan support.