Webb: Executive Iran Deal Needs Congress’ Approval

Fmr. Senator and potential 2016 presidential candidate Jim Webb (D-VA) said that international agreements cannot be negotiated without the consent of Congress and that Republicans are “correct” that the Iran deal is an executive agreement on Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead.”

“I don’t believe that any international agreement can be negotiated without the consent of Congress. I said this to President Obama in writing when he went to the climate change meeting in Copenhagen. I have said this about the Bush administration when they did the strategic framework agreement in Iraq. I said it again to this administration with respect to Libya” he stated. And “what I can see, and what I can understand from what the Republican position has been is, you cannot negotiate a binding international agreement without the consent of the Congress. So, the point that they’re making about this being an executive agreement is a correct point. Now, with respect to the deal, first of all they haven’t finished it. Let’s have that deal brought to the Congress. let them look at it and — have them vote on it.”

Webb also said that “I think there has been a receptivity in the potential change of attitude by Iran, partly because of our sanctions, and partly because of changes in the governmental and societal structure, there’s been a lot of stuff written on that. So, I think it is — it was a wise move, it is a wise move to try to take advantage of that and to see if we can bring some stability in the relationship, with the caveat that we are not going to tolerate a nuclear weapon developed by Iran.”

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