President Barack Obama says a letter from Republican senators to Iranian leaders is ironic because, in his words, some members of Congress appear to want to align themselves with “hardliners” in Iran.

Obama says, “It’s an unusual coalition.”

In the letter, Republicans said that without congressional approval, any deal between Iran and the U.S. would be merely an agreement between Obama and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Obama says he will concentrate on seeing whether negotiators with Iran can strike a deal.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the GOP letter interferes with diplomatic negotiations. He called it a “rush to war, or at least the rush to the military option” that was not in the best interest of the United States.”

(AP)