Iran: Congress Not Satisfied With Secret Side Deals

Congressional Leaders: Per The Iran Nuclear Review Act, ‘Transmit These Two Side Agreements To Congress Immediately’

Obama Administration: ‘There’s No Side Deals’ & ‘No Secret Deal,’ But If There Is, Those Documents Are ‘Not Public’ & ‘Not In Our Possession’
“The White House on Wednesday acknowledged the existence of so-called ‘side’ agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency that have sparked new arguments against the Iran nuclear deal.” (“Hurdles Grow For Administration In Selling Iran Nuclear Deal,” The Hill, 7/22/15)

• SUSAN RICE, UN Ambassador: “The IAEA and Iran did reach an understanding. As is always the case, that is an understanding between the country in question and the IAEA. These documents are not public. But, nonetheless, we have been briefed on those documents. We know their contents. We're satisfied with them.” (White House Press Briefing, 7/22/15)

JOHN KERRY, Secretary Of State: ‘There's no secret deal… There’s no secret deal’ REP. MIKE MCCAUL (R-TX): “My final question is this too -- This secret deal between the IAEA and Iran...” SEC. KERRY: “There's no secret deal.” MCCAUL: “We have never seen this. Are you going to present that to the Congress?” KERRY: “There's no secret deal.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, 7/28/15)

• KERRY: ‘We don’t have a side agreement’ REP. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): “So the executive branch has a binding legal obligation under the Iran Nuclear Review Act to provide all documents, including the side deals.” KERRY: “Well, actually, we don't have a side agreement.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, 7/28/15)

JOHN KERRY, Secretary Of State: “…there are two appendices apparently.” REP. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): “Two appendices. And is it your testimony that the Congress will not get to review those agreements before voting on...” KERRY: “No. Congress will be briefed on the contents of those agreement per what we know.” DESANTIS: “But we will not be given the actual agreement to review.” KERRY: “I don't believe you get the actual agreement, Congressman.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, 7/28/15)

• SEC. JOHN KERRY: ‘We don't have it… I have not personally seen it,’ ‘We don't have access to the actual agreement’ KERRY: “There is an agreement, which is the normal process of the IAEA where they negotiate a confidential agreement, as they do with all countries, between them and the country. And that exists. We have briefed on it.” REP. MIKE MCCAUL (R-TX): “Are you going to present that to the Congress?” KERRY: “We don't have it.” MCCAUL: “Have you seen it?” KERRY: “We have been briefed on it. I have not personally seen it.” … REP. TED POE (R-TX): “Following up on Chairman McCaul's comments about the -- the secret deal, Secretary Rice said that she has seen this deal with the IAEA, and that it will be shared with Congress. So if she's seen it, have you seen it?” KERRY: “I don't believe that Susan Rice, national security adviser, has seen it. I think she...” POE: “She said she did six days ago. She said six days ago she had seen it and reviewed it, and that Congress will get to see it in a classified section. My question is, have you seen it?” KERRY: “No, I haven't seen it. I've been briefed on it.” POE: “But you haven't read it. You haven't seen it. Let me ask you this.” KERRY: “It's in the possession of the IAEA.” POE: “Are you going to read it?” KERRY: “We don't have access to the actual agreement.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, 7/28/15)

ERNEST MONIZ, Secretary Of Energy: “Yes, as Secretary Kerry said, this is a road map worked out between the IAEA and Iran. They have -- we do not have the -- those documents...” (U.S. Senate, Foreign Relations Committee, Hearing, 7/23/15)

MONIZ: “There’s no side agreement.” (U.S. Senate, Foreign Relations Committee, Hearing, 7/23/15)

Congressional Leaders: ‘Transmit These Two Side Agreements To Congress Immediately’
“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.’” (“McConnell, Boehner Want Obama To Hand Over Iran 'Side' Deals,” The Hill, 7/22/15)

LEADER MCCONNELL, SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR), SPEAKER BOEHNER, REP. MIKE POMPEO (R-KS): ‘Transmit these two side agreements to Congress immediately’ “The purpose of the Iran Nuclear Agreement review Act is to ensure Congress has a fully informed understanding of the JCPOA.  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.  We request you transmit these two side agreements to Congress immediately so we may perform our duty to assess the many important questions related to the JCPOA.” (Sens. McConnell & Cotton And Reps. Boehner & Pompeo, Letter To President Obama, 7/22/15)

• Discussions in Vienna ‘clearly revealed that two separate arrangements were reached’ “Two of us – Senator Tom Cotton and Representative Mike Pompeo – visited the IAEA in Vienna on July 17 to assess the verification and monitoring capabilities of the IAEA to meet the demands of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action].  These discussions with Massimo Aparo, Mohamed Lamari and Cornel Feruta, along with the statement released by the IAEA and Iran concerning the ‘Roadmap for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program,’ clearly revealed that two separate arrangements were reached to resolve the issues related to PMD [possible military dimensions]. Unfortunately, these separate agreements were not delivered to the Congress on July 19, although they are clearly part of the agreement as defined above.”(Sens. McConnell & Cotton And Reps. Boehner & Pompeo, Letter To President Obama, 7/22/15)
• ‘The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act required the delivery of the nuclear agreement with Iran to Congress… including… side agreements’ “As you know, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act required the delivery of the nuclear agreement with Iran to Congress, which your administration did on July 19, 2015.  But the agreement is defined as: ‘The term “agreement” means an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran that includes the United States, commits the United States to take action, or pursuant to which the United States commits or otherwise agrees to take action, regardless of the form it takes, whether a political commitment or otherwise, and regardless of whether it is legally binding or not, including any join comprehensive plan of action entered into or made between Iran and any other parties, and any additional materials related thereto, including annexes, appendices, codicils, side agreements, implementing materials, documents, and guidance, technical or other understandings, and any related agreements whether entered into or implemented prior to the agreement or to be entered into or implemented in the future.’” (Sens. McConnell & Cotton And Reps. Boehner & Pompeo, Letter To President Obama, 7/22/15)

“A spokesperson for Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) — Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and co-sponsor of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act — this morning tells Right Turn, ‘Senators Corker and [Ben] Cardin sent a private letter to Secretary [John] Kerry requesting two additional documents associated with the Iran nuclear agreement that were left out of the materials required to be submitted to Congress per the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act that the president signed into law.’” (“Iran Deal At Risk: Key Senators Demand Secret Annexes,” The Washington Post’s ‘Right Turn,’ 7/22/15)

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