--- title: Republicans on Iran Nuclear Deal: Senators Warn Deal Not Permanent description: A group of GOP Senators explained in a letter to the leaders of Iran that U.S. law makes any deal between Iran and the U.S. tenuous. canonical: https://time.com/3737118/iran-nuclear-agreement-republicans/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-09T14:23:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-15T05:48:02.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republicans Draw White House Ire for Warning to Iran og:description: GOP senators warn that next president could overturn Iran nuclear deal "with the stroke of a pen" og:url: https://time.com/3737118/iran-nuclear-agreement-republicans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta53247b7396ce4f8/698782e93c1639f1d74522e2/tom-cotton-congress-republican.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Senator Tom Cotton speaks during a news conference with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee about arming Ukraine in the fight against Russia in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 5, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republicans Draw White House Ire for Warning to Iran twitter:description: GOP senators warn that next president could overturn Iran nuclear deal "with the stroke of a pen" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta53247b7396ce4f8/698782e93c1639f1d74522e2/tom-cotton-congress-republican.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republicans Draw White House Ire for Warning to Iran > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=39cd5400-8d9a-4754-a20d-ac08670a54e4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Covers: 47 Years of War and Hope in the Middle East [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Covers: 47 Years of War and Hope in the Middle East](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/r3PKM6pC.m3u8) (1:20)  _Published 2014-08-07. TIME Covers: 47 Years of War and Hope in the Middle East_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 15, 2023 5:48 AM UTCPublished: Mar 9, 2015 2:23 PM UTC  Senator Tom Cotton speaks during a news conference with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee about arming Ukraine in the fight against Russia in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 5, 2015. Senator Tom Cotton speaks during a news conference with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee about arming Ukraine in the fight against Russia in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 5, 2015. Samuel Corum—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 15, 2023 5:48 AM UTCPublished: Mar 9, 2015 2:23 PM UTC The White House and congressional Democrats reacted angrily Monday to an [open letter](http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-03-09/republicans-warn-iran-and-obama-that-deal-won-t-last) from more than 40 Republican Senators to the leaders of Iran, which cautioned that U.S. law makes any nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S. tenuous. “Writing a letter like this that appeals to the hard-liners in Iran is frankly just the latest in a strategy, a partisan strategy, to undermine the President’s ability to conduct foreign policy and advance our national interests around the world,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in [remarks reported by the New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/world/asia/white-house-faults-gop-senators-letter-to-irans-leaders.html). Vice President Joe Biden accused the Senators of abandoning two centuries of precedent by attempting to undercut the President’s ability to manage sensitive negotiations with foreign nations. “I cannot recall another instance in which Senators wrote directly to advise another country—much less a longtime foreign adversary— that the President does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them,” wrote the Vice President in a statement. Biden also contended that the letter erroneously implied that the U.S. President is unable to deliver on America’s commitments, a suggestion that he labeled “as false as it is dangerous.” “The decision to undercut our President and circumvent our constitutional system offends me as a matter of principle,” said Biden. Senate minority leader Harry Reid called the letter a “hard slap in the face,” [Politico](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/harry-reid-response-gop-iran-letter-115900.html?hp=t3%5Fr) reports, and Iran’s Foreign Minister called it a “propaganda ploy.” [The letter](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/150309-cotton-open-letter-to-iranian-leaders.pdf), organized by Oklahoma Senator Tom Cotton, said any treaty requires congressional approval and that the fate of an executive agreement will be subject to the whims of the next President. It also notes that many in the Senate will remain in power when President Obama leaves the White House. “The next President could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen, and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time,” the letter says. “We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress,” says the letter, first reported by [Bloomberg](http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-03-09/republicans-warn-iran-and-obama-that-deal-won-t-last). The U.S. and other countries are currently in the midst of negotiations with Iran on an agreement on the country’s nuclear capability. Most Republicans in Congress have expressed strong opposition, in part due to Israel’s stance that it threatens its well-being. ## Transcript The tension in the Middle East, develops into full scale war. [ MUSIC ] Heavy fighting between Israeli and Egyptian forces, along the Gaza Strip, as each side accuses the other of attacking first. [ MUSIC ] The two sides are hopelessly deadlocked. But the current scrimmaging is only a prelude to an all out battle, according to the [ INAUDIBLE ]. [ MUSIC ] You still have to go [ INAUDIBLE ] until my friend, President Sadat and I sign a peace treaty. We promised each other that we shall do so within three months. The US Marines brought their M60s. To Beirut on a peacekeeping mission. Upon their arrival they found a country which had been nearly destroyed. Israel was after its enemy. The Palestine Liberation Organization, which was now headquartered there. [ MUSIC ] Getting ready to hit back. 20 people died in the attack. Hamas carried it out. Israel is holding Yasser Arafat ultimately responsible. 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