Warnings that a new round of Iran sanctions would derail ongoing diplomacy appear to be a big part of the appeal for Senate hawks, who today introduced the new bill despite explicit promises from the president to veto it.
The bill has 26 co-sponsors, split equally from both parties, and are demanding to see it brought to a vote. The author, Sen. Mark Kirk (R – IL) is presenting it as a “pro-Israel” bill, and it has plenty of support from the Israeli lobbying groups.
Committee chairs are almost uniformly against it, however, with 10 of them issuing an open letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D – NV) waning that the bill threatens negotiations with Iran and urging “consultations” with them before it is brought to vote.
Sen. Reid has previously suggested no sanctions vote would take place until at least January, with the last nominations taking up what time remains before recess. Even then though, the recess will be full of lobbying on both sides, as the hawks seek a veto-proof majority to push forward a bill, and kill a treaty in doing so.