South façade of the White House. Photo: Matt H. Wade / WikiCommons.

JNS.org – The White House may be exploring ways to circumvent Congress and unilaterally lift sanctions on Iran, according to reports.

The Washington Free Beacon, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the White House and Congress, said the Obama administration is looking for legal ways to bypass Congress and ease the sanctions themselves.

“The American people must get a say in any final nuclear agreement with Iran to ensure the mullahs never get the bomb,” U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) said. “The administration cannot just ignore U.S. law and lift sanctions unilaterally.”

The White House said it would begin to ease Iran sanctions after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran has shut down higher-level uranium enrichment at a facility in central Iran.

“These actions represent the first time in nearly a decade that Iran has verifiably enacted measures to halt progress on its nuclear program, and roll it back in key respects,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.