CRS report – Procedures for Congressional Action in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran. Valerie Heitshusen, Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process; Richard S. Beth, Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process. June 23, 2015.

“An April 2015 framework for negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran suggests that a final agreement that results in the easing of many existing sanctions on Iran might be reached. Amid concerns among some in Congress about the terms of the possible agreement, Congress passed, and the President signed, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-17). The act establishes a period for Congress to review any comprehensive agreement, during which certain presidential actions to provide relief from sanctions on Iran are barred. It also provides for congressional action during this period that could prevent (or allow) such relief. After this review period, further, the act requires the President to make certain certifications of Iran’s compliance with the agreement, and if these certifications are not made, it establishes expedited congressional procedures for legislation that could reinstate sanctions waived by the President. This report provides, in brief, analysis of the congressional procedural provisions laid out in P.L. 114-17.”