Obama: The Nuclear Agreement with Iran Will Not Be a 'Formal Treaty'

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stated that a potential final agreement with Iran will not be a 'formal treaty.' He also mentioned that he would sign a plan for Congress to review the potential agreement with Iran. On Friday, April 17, during a joint press conference with the Italian Prime Minister at the White House, Obama said that U.S. Presidents have been able to reach political agreements with other countries without Congress's approval. Previously, 47 Republican senators had warned in an open letter to Iranian leaders that under the U.S. Constitution, any nuclear agreement with the U.S. government without Congress's consent would merely be an 'executive agreement' that the next president could revoke. According to live reports from CNN, the U.S. President added that his 'main concern' regarding the potential nuclear agreement is that if the Islamic Republic does not comply, the U.S. 'cannot do anything specific to reimpose sanctions.' This comes as Barack Obama had stated immediately after the initial Lausanne understanding that after a final and potential agreement, 'facilities will be gradually' applied regarding U.S. and UN sanctions against Iran, but if Iran does not adhere to its commitments, 'these sanctions will snap back immediately.' A summary of the U.S. President's remarks about the Lausanne understanding: The U.S. President also mentioned that he would sign a potential Senate law that would give Congress more authority to comment on the potential agreement with Iran. Obama referred to this as a 'reasonable compromise.' The Senate plan is expected to be passed with strong support from senators. According to this plan, the U.S. President cannot lift sanctions against Iran for 30 days after any final agreement, and Congress will have the opportunity to review the agreement during this period. Barack Obama also responded to a question regarding Russia's decision to lift a five-year ban on delivering S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Iran, saying, 'To be honest, I am shocked that this {ban} lasted this long.' The U.S. President stated that the Russian economy is 'under pressure' and this was a 'significant sale' for them. The U.S. and Israel have expressed their concerns about the potential delivery of S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Iran.