House Speaker John A. Boehner said it’s too soon to tell if Congress could muster the votes to stop a bad Iran nuclear deal struck by President Obama, denying a report that he’d already admitted defeat to a private audience last weekend.
“It’s too early to speculate on whether we can or can’t,” Mr. Boehner said at his weekly press briefing.
Congress is in the middle of writing procedures that would give them a chance to review any deal Mr. Obama strikes with Iran — but it would take a two-thirds vote of both chambers to actually block such a deal. Bloomberg News, citing four sources, reported earlier this week that the GOP speaker told the Republican Jewish Coalition that he didn’t think Congress could muster the two-thirds vote needed.
Mr. Boehner pushed back Thursday, denying he’d made that prediction.
Mr. Obama is working along with European leaders and China’s leaders to try to strike a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program, which the U.S. says is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon, but which Iran insists is for peaceful purposes. Under the outline reached a month ago, Iran’s capabilities would be halted, but not eliminated.
A final deal is due by the end of June, and Congress is rushing to insert itself into the debate, demanding a chance to review the agreement before Mr. Obama lifts congressionally-imposed sanctions on Iran.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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