The US State Department has sent the Iran deal to Congress for review, which now means lawmakers have 60 days to make a decision.

For Israel, this time period is critical as Jerusalem will be working to persuade US lawmakers to reject President Obama’s agreement that was signed with Tehran. PM Netanyahu has commented on several occasions after the deal between Iran and the P5+1 was signed in Vienna, including a warning based on statements released by Iranian ruler Khamenei following the signing.

“If someone thought that the extraordinary concessions to Iran would lead to a change in its policy, they received an unequivocal answer over the weekend in Iranian ruler Khamenei’s aggressive and contrary speech. The Iranians aren’t even trying to hide the fact that they will use the hundreds of billions that they will receive under this agreement in order to arm their terror machine and they are clearly saying that they will continue their struggle against the US and its allies, first among them being Israel, of course” explained Mr. Netanyahu.

Netanyahu and the Foreign Ministry will be working hard to persuade US lawmakers to oppose the deal, hoping to also win over a significant number of democrats to vote against their own president.

Simultaneously, US Secretary of State John Kerry is working to sell the plan to the American people and of course, to Congress. He has begun a string of media interviews to push what he and President Obama view as the highlights of a good deal. In addition, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Israel on Sunday, 3 Menachem Av, and he will be meeting with the prime minister and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to discuss Israel’ concerns.

The issue of compensating Israel for the deal is likely to be discussed, including an upgraded military and intelligence package for Israel. Kerry is expected to attend the Gulf summit in August to discuss that regions benefits from the deal.

And in another significant event, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel land in Iran on Sunday, becoming the first senior Western official to visit the country since the deal was signed and the economic sanctions lifted. This signals the start of renewed business ties between Iran and the Western world.

Photo: Secretary Carter meets with DM Ya’alon.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)