Mitch McConnell to force tough votes on Iran, 4 U.S. prisoners

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he’ll force tough votes this week on whether senators back Iran over Israel and over four American prisoners still being held by the regime in Tehran as all sides scrambled for ways to stiffen the nuclear deal President Obama reached with the Islamic republic.

Democrats continued their filibuster Tuesday to sustain the deal, leaving the White House with a free hand to begin the process of lifting sanctions as of Thursday.

But Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said the Senate will keep debating the deal and will take votes Thursday insisting Mr. Obama not be allowed to lift sanctions until Iran releases U.S. prisoners and recognizes the right of Israel to exist. The move could put Democrats into an politically unattractive position.

“This is an issue with a very, very long shelf life,” Mr. McConnell said. “And it will be before the American people for the next year and a half and certainly be a factor in their determination of who they want to lead our country as president in the next election.”

The moves come as both Republicans and Democrats have begun debating the next steps Congress can take after the Thursday deadline passes and Mr. Obama can claim victory in preserving his agreement with Iran.

Reps. Duncan Hunter, Adam Kinzinger and Ryan Zinke, all military veterans, have proposed legislation that would pre-approve military action should Iran breach its vow in the agreement to “never seek, develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.”

“It’s necessary that Iran receive the message that the U.S. is prepared to destroy any and all capability and facilities without warning or prolonged negotiation,” Mr. Hunter said. “These are terms that Iran can actually understand and will be the difference between Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb or not.”

Other lawmakers haven’t given up on trying to stiffen the existing deal, reached between Mr. Obama and the leaders of Russia, China, Germany, Britain, France and Iran.

Under the terms of that agreement, the regime in Tehran agrees to allow monitoring of its nuclear program in exchange for the world powers lifting sanctions, returning tens of billions of dollars of frozen assets, and allowing Iran to continue to enrich uranium at levels below that required for nuclear weapons.

Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, said he would support for a plan floated by Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, that defunds the International Atomic Energy Agency until Congress gets more details on how inspections will be carried out.

“We may have to wait for the next president of the United States,” Mr. McCain said, reflecting the GOP’s belief it can take the White House in 2017. “Obviously our options are limited because of the 60-vote situation in the Senate and the president’s ability to veto. But I will not give up until we cancel this agreement, one way or another.”

Democrats, too, say Iran cannot be trusted and that Congress can sharpen the deal.

Rep. Adam Schiff, California Democrat, said Congress should beef up its surveillance of Iran and stand ready to rally to Israel’s aid if Iran uses its windfall from sanctions relief to sponsor unrest in the region.

“With the deal now effectively passed, the Administration will begin to implement it. In Congress, we should focus on making it stronger,” said Mr. Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Tuesday’s Senate vote saw 42 Democrats back the filibuster, thwarting the will of the 56-vote majority, made up 52 Republicans and four Democrats.

Two Republican senators running for president, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, did not vote.

Polling has been trending negative toward the Iran deal, and Mr. McConnell said some of the Democrats now offering proposals to try to stiffen the agreement are hoping to repair relations with voters.

The Kentucky Republican, though, said he won’t take up any new Iran legislation unless backers can prove they have the two-thirds vote needed to overcome not only a filibuster, but also a potential presidential veto.

Analysts said the jockeying on Capitol Hill reflected an eagerness to assign blame ahead of a pivotal election year.

“Public opinion surveys show that the Iran agreement is not very popular among the general public. Voters do not trust any agreement with Iran,” said Darrell West, director of governance studies for the Brookings Institution. “Politicians are maneuvering to see if they can exert maximum hurt on those who supported the deal.”

After Tuesday’s Senate vote, GOP leaders are weighing their options.

Speaker John A. Boehner said last week that “all options are on the table” to stop or stall the deal. That includes attaching an Iran measure to a must-pass spending bill to avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1, or even mounting a court challenge arguing the president violated the terms of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act by not submitting some of the secret side deals between Iran and the IAEA.

Rep. Peter Roskam, Illinois Republican, said with so much complexity weighing on the spending deal — from sequester caps on domestic programs to defunding Planned Parenthood because of its abortion practice — it may not be the best vehicle for the Iran fight.

He said the chamber was emboldened by a federal judge’s decision last week to grant the House legal standing to sue Mr. Obama over how his administration funded certain payments through his signature health care law.

“I would say the main focal point at this point is on litigation,” he said.