John Boehner: I Will Do Everything to Prevent the Implementation of the Iran Agreement

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, stated on Wednesday, July 22, that he and other members of Congress will "do everything they can" to prevent the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran. In remarks published by the Associated Press, Boehner said, "Members of Congress will ask very tough questions this evening during a meeting with the President's team, as a bad agreement threatens the safety of the American people; we will do everything in our power to stop this." These comments from the Speaker come just days after Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, expressed optimism about the agreement reached in Vienna, describing it as "the best possible option." Pelosi stated that the nuclear agreement with Iran has her "strong support" and she is working to garner support from other representatives for the agreement. Senior members of Congress, who are predominantly Republican, have stated their opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran and the six world powers, arguing that the agreement does not prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and will free billions of dollars of Iran's frozen assets due to sanctions, which could be spent on "terrorist groups" like Hezbollah and Hamas. Israel is also among the staunch opponents of the Vienna agreement, and the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. met with 30 to 40 Republican members of Congress on Wednesday, urging them to block the nuclear agreement with Iran. Republican Congressman Dave Brat noted that the main point of discussion from Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador, during their nearly hour-long meeting was to focus less on details like centrifuges and the duration of the agreement, and more on the moral implications, emphasizing that Iran is on the other side of the moral debate. Another Republican representative, Trent Franks from Arizona, summarized the ambassador's main message: "The issue is not what is on the table, the issue is who is sitting on the other side of the table." Congress has 60 days to review the agreement with Iran and either approve or reject it, but Boehner previously stated that it is "clearly evident" that the majority of Congress opposes the agreement. Meanwhile, the President of the United States has threatened to veto Congress's decision to reject the agreement. If Congress votes negatively on the Vienna agreement, the Iranian Parliament, which has begun reviewing the agreement, is also likely to reject it. The Associated Press reports that Congress will hold its most significant vote on U.S. national security since 2002 this fall. In that year, Congress supported George Bush's plan to invade Iraq. Barack Obama, who has expressed the most support for the nuclear agreement with Iran in the past week, spoke again on July 30 among American "veterans," likening opponents of the agreement in the U.S. to war hawks and supporters of the Iraq war. In addition to his extensive defense of the Vienna agreement, Obama has also begun lobbying Congress, with Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew scheduled to present a report on the nuclear negotiations between the six world powers and Iran and answer questions from members of Congress.