U.S. State Department Sends Nuclear Agreement Text to Congress

The U.S. State Department has sent the text of the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, dated July 23, along with its documents and annexes, to Congress. The State Department states that Congress will have until Monday, July 29, to review this agreement and its related documents for 60 days and announce its final opinion on it. On the same Monday, the resolution related to the nuclear agreement will be sent to the United Nations Security Council. The majority of Republicans, who hold the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, have previously expressed their opposition to the negotiations and ultimately the nuclear agreement with Iran. At the same time, the Israeli government has also begun new efforts to garner more opposition to this agreement and prevent its approval. Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on July 28, referring to a recent phone conversation between John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, describing it as a 'very tough conversation.' If U.S. Congress members do not approve the comprehensive agreement, the President of the United States can exercise his veto power against it. Representatives can attempt to achieve a two-thirds vote in opposition to this agreement, which would then strip the President of his veto power. However, it does not seem easy for them to reach a two-thirds majority, which would require the votes of a group of Democratic representatives.