28 Mar 2024
Sunday 2 August 2015 - 14:16
Story Code : 174362

Obama ready to ignore Congress if veto on Iran deal is overridden

Tehran, Aug 2, IRNA Tehran-Based Iran Daily newspaper wrote on Sunday that California Rep. Brad Sherman warns that even if Congress were to override President Obamas veto of the Iran deal, the president could still get the deal he wants.

Sherman, a Democrat who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, grilled Sec. of State John Kerry Tuesday over whether the administration would follow the law if Congress votes against the administrations deal with Iran and overrides the presidents veto.

So, youre not committed to following the law if you think its a bad law? Sherman asked.

No, Kerry said. I said Im not going to deal with a hypothetical, thats all.

Sherman later told reporters Wednesday that there were different options on the table that Obama could seriously consider if the Congress overrode his veto.

First, he may simply announce that every bank that does business with Iran in accordance with the deal will not face the sanctions in the Menendez-Kirk amendment, as reinstated and strengthened by the Corker deal, as activated by the veto override. So, number one, ignore U.S. statute, Sherman explained.

Number two, he will tell the rest of the world to follow the deal and do business with Iran as specified in the deal, saying that is the reasonable thing to do. Sherman, who is currently undecided on the deal, went further to say that Obama could go to foreign countries and persuade their governments to mandate that their banks do business with Iran even if the banks are scared.

He might go to foreign countries and say, Look maybe your banks are reluctant to do business with Iran, because they fear this Congress will somehow get them maybe theyll need a little push, so Ill speak to your parliament.

Eventually, Sherman explained, it will become more difficult for the next administration to undo what was just done.

And so then the next president would be in a circumstance of saying, Do we punish Italian banks, because they did what the last president asked them to do? What the whole world suggested they do? What their own government required them to do? It would be very hard to cut off all Italian banks from the US banking system, because they did business with Iran and in 2016 in a manner required by and encouraged by our president, the California Democrat said.

The president attempted to persuade Democrats who are uneasy about the deal with Iran on Wednesday, according to New York Rep. Jerry Nadler.

[His] message was this was important and that if we wanted to avert a nuclear bomb in Iranian hands, we have to vote yes on this. Theres no other way. There are no other alternatives that bear close scrutiny. That was [the presidents] message, Nadler told reporters, noting that his own constituents in downtown Manhattan are split on the issue.

Similar to Sherman, Nadler is undecided and told reporters he still has questions. Democrats appear to be waiting on New York Sen. Chuck Schumer to decide where he stands on the Iran deal, as some think others will follow his lead.

Four Democratic representatives voiced their support for the deal Thursday, including Senate candidate Chris Van Hollen and Dan Kildee, Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. David Price, D-N.C.

By IRNA
https://theiranproject.com/vdcce0qsi2bqm18.-ya2.html
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