The White House said Tuesday the administration has given Congress all available documents on the Iran nuclear deal, brushing aside renewed calls from Republican lawmakers for text of “secret” side deals between Tehran and the United Nations.
“We believe we’ve produced all the materials Congress needs,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. He said the administration has satisfied terms of legislation requiring it to turn over all documents pertaining to the agreement for a 60-day congressional review.
Rep. Mike Pompeo, Kansas Republican, sent a letter Tuesday to President Obama signed by 94 House Republican lawmakers urging the president to release the full details of what he called “secret side deals” between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Association, which will carry out inspections to make sure Iran isn’t working on nuclear weapons.
“This is no small matter,” the lawmakers wrote. “The issue of how we will verify that Iran is being truthful about its activities at potential nuclear sites will determine whether the [agreement] can ultimately succeed.”
The lawmakers said the terms of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act signed by the president guarantees that Congress has “the right and the duty to review every relevant document, every term, and every word of this agreement in order to make an informed decision about whether or not it merits our support.”
Iran and the IAEA have signed agreements governing the inspections of one of Iran’s most secretive nuclear sites — the Parchin military complex — and other potential military dimensions sites. The administration said it doesn’t have text of those agreements, which it describes as standard for a country submitting to nuclear inspections.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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