Obama Ready To Veto Bill Giving Congress Say On Iranian Nuclear Negotiations

President Obama is prepared to veto legislation that would allow Congress to have a say in approving a nuclear deal with Iran. The White House told The Hill Saturday a recently introduced bill to that effect is a no-go.

"The president has been clear that now is not the time for Congress to pass additional legislation on Iran," National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan told the The Hill. "If this bill is sent to the president, he will veto it."

The Obama administration is working toward a March 31 deadline to nail down a framework with Iran on its nuclear program. Five other world powers are involved in the talks -- the U.K., France, Germany, China and Russia. Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling to Switzerland this weekend, AFP reports, to continue the talks that encompass checks on Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities in return for international sanctions relief.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., introduced a bipartisan bill that would require a 60-day congressional review period of any agreement reached with Iran. Bloomberg View reported the sponsors designed the review period to be flexible enough "to attract Senate Democrats in hopes of building a veto-proof majority."

In light of Obama's veto threat Saturday, Corker told Reuters it was "disappointing that the president feels he is the only one who speaks for the citizens of our country."