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U.S. NEWSThursday 14 January 2016
House approves greater oversight of Iran nuclear deal
RICHARD LARDNER House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., left, talks with the committee’s to allow members another
Associated Press ranking member Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the committee’s opportunity to vote on Jan.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Less hearing on the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act. The GOP-led committee approved legisla- 26. The measure’s fate is
than 24 hours after Iran’s tion that would give Congress greater oversight of the landmark nuclear deal with Iran. uncertain in the Senate,
detention and release where it would be certain
of U.S. sailors, the House of (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) to face a Democratic de-
Representatives approved laying tactics..
Republican-backed leg- tion with Iran established of the number needed to to a close even though The House bill would bar
islation that amplifies the during the nuclear negotia- override a veto: Speaker more than 130 lawmakers the removal of certain in-
party’s distrust of Tehran tions as key to the speedy Paul Ryan, determined to hadn’t voted. In an unusu- dividuals and foreign fi-
and would give Congress resolution. keep the House on sched- al parliamentary move, Re- nancial institutions on a
greater oversight of the The vote count fell well short ule, had the vote gaveled publican leaders agreed restricted list kept by the
landmark nuclear agree- Treasury Department until
ment. the president certifies to
Lawmakers voted 191-106 Congress that they weren’t
Wednesday to approve involved in Iran’s ballistic
the Iran Terror Finance missiles program or in ter-
Transparency Act, spurning rorist activities. The agree-
a veto threat from Presi- ment, forged by the United
dent Barack Obama. The States and Iran and signed
White House said the bill by five other nations, com-
could cause “the collapse” mits Tehran to cutting back
of the July agreement and over more than a decade
that the president will reject on nuclear technologies
the legislation if it reaches that could be used for
his desk. weapons-making. In ex-
The vote came as the po- change, Iran will have ac-
tentially volatile incident in cess to about $100 billion
Iran’s territorial waters was in previously frozen assets
swiftly resolved. The 10 U.S. and fully return to the oil
Navy sailors were freed un- market. Republicans have
harmed early Wednesday said sanctions relief will
as the White House cited leave Iran flush with cash
new lines of communica- to fund terrorism.
For most Republicans, the
Obama, Putin call for tough response to North Korea dramatic, whirlwind inci-
dent in Iranian waters is
JOSH LEDERMAN tion in eastern Ukraine, ac- The U.S. has been pressing Russia to bolster the fight another example of Iran’s
Associated press cording to each country’s Russia to end its support for against the Islamic State belligerence and why it
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- description of the call. The Assad and stop bombing group and other extremists, can’t be a trusted part-
dent Barack Obama and White House said Obama the rebel groups fighting the Kremlin said. ner. Since the agreement
Russian President Vladimir had called for Russia to ful- Assad’s regime. Although Russia says it’s was reached, Tehran has
Putin joined Wednesday in fill its obligations under a The Kremlin said both lead- targeting IS fighters with air- accelerated its missile pro-
calling for a tough global cease-fire deal; the Kremlin ers had also called for a strikes in Syria, the U.S. has gram in violation of existing
response to North Korea’s said Putin has emphasized reduction in tensions be- accused Russia’s air cam- U.N. sanctions, continued
recent nuclear test, even the need for Ukraine to tween Saudi Arabia and paign there of primarily go- to support terrorist groups
as they remained at odds meet its commitments un- Iran, which have threat- ing after U.S.-backed rebels and hold American hos-
over Ukraine and Syrian der that same deal. ened to complicate diplo- that are fighting Assad. tages, they said. Iran also
President Bashar Assad. Both leaders voiced sup- matic efforts on Syria. On North Korea’s claim to has remained a key ally
In a wide-ranging phone port for U.N. talks to re- Obama and Putin also have tested a hydrogen of Syrian President Bashar
call, Obama and Putin ap- solve the civil war in Syria, broached the topic of in- bomb, at least, the leaders Assad, who lawmakers ac-
peared to speak past one in which Assad’s future re- creased military contacts seemed in agreement. q cuse of killing more than
another about the situa- mains a key sticking point. between the U.S. and 200,000 of his own people
in Syria’s civil war.q
