Islam Times - White House rejects bypassing Congress on nuclear deal with Iran

Islam Times - White House spokesman Eric Schultz has rejected a report that the Obama administration is trying to bypass Congress on a nuclear deal with Iran.

“The notion that we are trying to avoid congressional consultation and input on this is preposterous,” Schultz said on Monday.

“This is an issue where we talk to Congress intensively,” he was quoted as saying by The Hill. “We will continue to consult with Congress heavily."

The spokesman made the remarks after a senior US official told the New York Times that President Barack Obama will do “everything in his power” to avoid a vote in Congress on any nuclear accord with Iran.

“We wouldn’t seek congressional legislation in any comprehensive agreement for years,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Iran and the P5+1 group -- Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – are negotiating to narrow their differences over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program ahead of a November 24 deadline.

Last year, Iran and its negotiating partners clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later. However, the two sides agreed to extend the talks until Nov. 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.

Sources close to the Iranian negotiating team say the main stumbling block to resolving Western disputes over Iran’s nuclear issue is the removal of sanctions, not the number of centrifuges or the level of uranium enrichment.