Senator Coons Questions Administration on Iran Deal Amid Wave of Congressional Criticism

Sen. Chris Coons (D – Del.) questioned the American negotiating team behind the recently concluded nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), over the agreement’s weaknesses at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing yesterday.

Addressing Secretary of State John Kerry, Coons asked if the joint commission, which was established by Iran and the P5+1 nations to determine whether the nuclear agreement was being properly implemented, could be relied on to penalize IranIn response, Secretary of State John Kerry responded that he was “very confident” in the commission. Later he elaborated, “we’ve created a one nation ability to go to the Security Council and affect ‘snap back.'”

In response, Secretary of State John Kerry responded that he was “very confident” in the commission. Later he elaborated, “we’ve created a one nation ability to go to the Security Council and affect ‘snap back.'”

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However, Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, explained to NPR that the “snap back” mechanism would not work so cleanly:ian violations in the face of unraveling sanctions and an influx of European investment.

But critics of the deal see a big catch: “Iran actually has its own snap-back,” says Mark Dubowitz, sanctions expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which has been campaigning against what it calls a flawed agreement.

What he means is that, if sanctions are reinstated in part or entirely, the deal states that Iran could treat that as grounds to end its cooperation in part or entirely. In other words, if the U.S. wants to slap sanctions back on, it risks giving Iran an out to the deal.

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