{"id":24223,"date":"2026-06-16T03:25:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T03:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/some-senators-say-iran-deal-can-skip-congress-for-now-jewish-insider\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T03:25:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T03:25:42","slug":"some-senators-say-iran-deal-can-skip-congress-for-now-jewish-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/some-senators-say-iran-deal-can-skip-congress-for-now-jewish-insider\/","title":{"rendered":"Some senators say Iran deal can skip Congress \u2014 for now – Jewish Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"

A source told JI that Republican leadership and the administration may seek to sidestep INARA review, at least for the current 60-day agreement with Iran
Photo by Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a meeting with senior national security officials on the situation in Iran at the U.S. Capitol Building on June 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Some Republican senators said that the administration does not need to submit the recently signed 60-day memorandum of understanding with Iran to Congress for review and a potential vote under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, potentially sidestepping the first major opportunity for Congress to weigh in on the agreement.
Under INARA, the administration is required to promptly submit any deal with Iran relating to its nuclear program to Congress for review, with an opportunity for Congress to vote to reject the deal. But the administration may attempt to avoid that step, at least until a broader agreement is reached during the 60-day negotiating period \u2014 if one comes about.
A source familiar with the situation said Republican leadership is in discussions with the administration about what is included in the MOU \u2014 senior Republicans have said publicly they have not yet been informed<\/a> \u2014 but they are collectively moving toward a view that the MOU is an agreement for further negotiations, not a deal on Iran\u2019s nuclear program in itself, thereby sidestepping INARA for the time being.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some senators offered a similar view on Monday evening.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said that he\u2019s \u201cnot aware of any precedent\u201d for Congress to vote on an MOU.
\u201cThis is like a template for further negotiations,\u201d Hawley said. \u201cI don\u2019t even know constitutionally if we have a role on that.\u201d
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said that he does not believe that a congressional vote on the MOU is necessary. He also went further, emphasizing that even under INARA, there is no requirement for Congress to vote on any Iran agreement.
\u201cPeople may have different points of view of whether or not we should or we shouldn\u2019t, but there\u2019s certainly nothing required,\u201d Schmitt said. 
Pressed on why lawmakers wouldn\u2019t want an opportunity to vote on the deal, Schmitt responded, \u201con whether or not a president can cease conflict in that way?\u201d
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessary,\u201d he continued. \u201cI\u2019m just stating the law. \u2026 I will say that I do think that there are certain people in this building that want to undermine this, there\u2019s no doubt about that. \u2026 You have the camp that wants us to lose, and then you have a camp that wants a forever war. President Trump\u2019s not in either one of those camps.\u201d
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said that \u201cif there\u2019s a final\u201d deal with Iran, he believes Congress should have the opportunity to review and vote on it, but that he does not believe that such a vote is necessary for the current MOU.
\u201cWhen there\u2019s a final agreement \u2014 if there\u2019s a final agreement \u2014 just like the JCPOA Congress should be able to weigh in,\u201d Kennedy said.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who said he was involved in crafting INARA during the Obama administration, said that whether the MOU needs to be submitted is a question of what it includes.
\u201cIf the details are opening the ports, opening the straits and ceasefire, but let\u2019s talk about the nuclear program \u2014 I don\u2019t know that that would have to be submitted,\u201d Kaine said. \u201cIf the details that we hear Friday include some nuclear elements, and maybe we\u2019ll talk about some other ones down the road \u2014 well then it might have to come to us. You just have to see whether the deal that is announced Friday includes an agreement on any of the elements of [their nuclear program].\u201d
He emphasized, however, that meeting the 60-vote threshold in the Senate to pass a joint resolution of disapproval under INARA to block a deal would be difficult given current political dynamics around the war.
Others, however, are more eager for congressional scrutiny and even Senate ratification of the deal as a treaty.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that he hopes the U.S. doesn\u2019t \u201cmake the mistake Obama made [with the original nuclear deal]. We had an agreement that never really got ratified by Congress, didn\u2019t have a lot of visibility, and I think that\u2019s a mistake.\u201d
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) emphasized that any lasting agreement would need to be submitted to Congress.
\u201cIf it’s going to be long lasting, you\u2019ve got to pass law, and that was what President Obama figured out: he could make an executive agreement, but the next president just turns it off,\u201d Lankford said. \u201cThe president has the power to be able to negotiate foreign policy. He is the person who speaks for the country on foreign policy issues, but lasting agreements that last beyond that president have to be put in statute.\u201d
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) also said that if the deal is strong, it should be submitted to Congress for ratification as a treaty. \u201cThe JCPOA was torn apart, taken apart, because it could not meet that standard,\u201d Rounds said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), asked if the Senate should vote on the MOU or only the subsequent negotiated agreement said, \u201cIt’s the law. Any nuclear deal with Iran has to be voted on. There is no way that we will not review a deal.\u201d
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