Barack Obama officials lobby against Iran nuclear legislation

Washington: The Obama administration lobbied lawmakers on Tuesday to persuade them not to pass any legislation that could hamper prospects for negotiating a final deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program.

A Senate panel is set to vote tomorrow on a bill that would give Congress a say on a potential deal aimed at keeping Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. On the House side, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said today he will bring the bill to the floor after the Senate acts on legislation giving Congress the power to review any deal.

The Republican told reporters he spoke with Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, earlier in the day. McCarthy said he told Corker that if the Senate approves the bill, the House will vote on it.

Republicans and Democrats maintain that Congress should have a say on an international deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program and have lined up behind legislation. The White House has pushed back, threatening a presidential veto while warning that the bill could scuttle the delicate talks involving the United States, Iran and five world powers. Secretary of State John Kerry postponed a foreign trip to meet with members of the House late today to discuss the negotiations.

"Lines in the sands have moved back," McCarthy said, claiming the US has back-tracked on some of the demands it had at the beginning of the talks. "A lot of the questions will be why have they moved back and will Iran ever be able to have the capability of having a nuclear weapon. That's a key question."

Kerry scheduled another closed-door session with senators tomorrow morning.