Kerry says he stands by presentation of Iran nuclear deal

Kerry has said the sanctions would be suspended in phases.

By MICHAEL WILNER
US Secretary of State John Kerry prepares for a television interview in Washington (photo credit: STATE DEPARTMENT PHOTO)
US Secretary of State John Kerry prepares for a television interview in Washington
(photo credit: STATE DEPARTMENT PHOTO)
Granting interviews to three of Washington's Sunday shows, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Iran has "proven" its willingness to enter into an agreement and live by it, with its adherence to an interim nuclear deal first signed in November 2013.
He defended the Obama administration's interpretation of the Lausanne framework, which it detailed in a fact sheet released by the White House last week. Each provision of that document is factual, the secretary insisted, after Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) suggested over the weekend that the parameters sheet may be flawed.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said just that over the weekend, in his first public comments on the deal. McCain noted that, after Khamenei said the White House was lying about the contents of the framework agreement, "widely divergent explanations" of a potential deal must be explained to Congress for its ultimate approval.
Kerry said he would do just that, scheduling briefings with members of Congress on Monday morning. The meetings will be his first in-person briefings on Capitol Hill since returning from Switzerland.
"People need to hold their fire," Kerry told CBS News' Face the Nation, discouraging congressional "interference" as negotiations restart toward a final June 30 deadline for a comprehensive accord. Senate leadership is considering action on a bill that would grant Congress oversight powers into any future nuclear deal.
Obama has warned that such action— and rhetoric similar to Senator McCain's— is partisan subterfuge of a diplomatic effort within his authority to lead as president of the United States.