Kaine asserts Congress's role in nuclear agreement

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine  on Friday defended efforts by Congress to get involved in the Obama administration's negotiation of a nuclear deal with Iran.

Kaine  said he understands the White House's worries over what he called subtle, "high-stakes" talks.

"Congress can screw it up. There isn't a guarantee that Congress won't screw it up. But Congress is there for a reason," the Virginia Democrat said, arguing that the Constitution requires legislators to be engaged.

"The American public wants us involved," he told about 50 students and service members at Old Dominion University.

The framework for an agreement that was announced last week by the White House would require Iran to substantially reduce its stockpile of nuclear materials and uranium production in exchange for the lifting of severe economic sanctions.

The plan has many good points and some problems, said Kaine , a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. The panel is considering legislation next week that would require the White House to submit an Iranian agreement to Congress for a vote.

Kaine  said he's pleased that the framework called for Iran to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium by 95 percent.

"That is a major concession," Kaine  said. "That is probably the single best part of the deal."

But there is a need for more specifics about how the reductions can be verified over time, he said. Neither country's leaders trust the other country's. "This is all about verification," he said.

Another sticking point is the view of Iran's leaders that the sanctions will be lifted as soon as an agreement is signed.

"I can assure that is not going to happen," Kaine  said. It was the crippling economic sanctions - many put in place by Congress - that brought Iran to the bargaining table, he added.

Only Congress - not President Barack Obama - can cancel sanctions that legislators set in place, he said. "There's no way he can do that without us."

However, Kaine  strongly criticized a group of 47 Republican senators who wrote a letter last month to Iranian leaders warning that any deal with Obama could be undone as soon as he left office in early 2017.

The letter was not proper, Kaine  said, but it should be a reminder to Obama that he has to deal with Congress in some fashion.

"The only question is: Are we going to weigh in on free-for-all rules, or are we going to weigh in under rules that are careful and deliberate?" he said.

Kaine  said it's crucial that some agreement be developed with Iran. If the country's efforts to build a nuclear weapon aren't stopped, nearby rivals - Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt - will seek their own, he warned.

"The last thing we need in the Middle East is a nuclear arms race."

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