Several outlets on Thursday reported on Congressional efforts to reassert a measure of control over the trajectory of nuclear negotiations with Iran, with members of the House of Representatives making a variety of moves over the last few days to monitor the status of ongoing talks and to establish acceptable parameters on any deal.

Politico’s influential Morning Defense bulletin took note of a vote by the House Armed Services Committee:

The panel’s Republicans backed an amendment from Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) calling for additional restrictions on a potential nuclear deal with Iran, including that Iran cease its support of terror groups and its ballistic missile program.

An initial request for a roll call was withdrawn, and the language was approved by voice vote.

Meanwhile the Washington Free Beacon reported on new legislation in the House that would give Congess oversight over talks with Iran:

The legislation is being viewed as a bid to legally force the White House into sharing information and provide oversight over the Iran deal, the text of which the Obama administration has kept locked in a secret location.

The new bill, authored by Rep. Jackie Walorski (R., Ind.), would mandate that President Barack Obama immediately report to Congress on the state of the interim nuclear accord and Iran’s nuclear program.

The bill also would require that the White House report to Congress about any final deal it may strike with Tehran.

The Obama administration and key members on the Hill have consistently clashed over the wisdom of the interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA) signed between Iran and the P5+1 global powers, with divisions widening after it appeared that White House officials misled lawmakers and the public about the extent of Iranian concessions regarding uranium enrichment technology, plutonium infrastructure, and ballistic missile development.

The situation is a delicate one for the administration, which has reportedly been seeking ways to circumvent Congress should Washington commit to undoing sanctions on Iran. Both supporters and skeptics of a potential deal agree that such efforts are unlikely to prove sufficiently robust to succeed.

[Photo: Paul Arps / Flickr]