Special to WorldTribune.com

Both Israel’s security chief and a powerful U.S. senator said the Obama administration is keeping vital information on “side deals” of the Iran nuclear agreement confidential.

National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen said on July 29 that Israel has yet to be informed of the full details of the nuclear agreement between the P5+1 powers and Iran.

“Contrary to promises, Israel has not yet received all the written supplements to the agreement signed between Iran and the world powers,” Cohen told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Cohen said the Israeli government is struggling to accurately assess the agreement as it “lacks the entire picture.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. John McCain on July 29 said the nuclear deal could put U.S. military personnel at risk. He added that unknown “side agreements” with Teheran limited Congress’s ability to assess the viability of the agreement.

The White House denied there were any “side deals” and said it was “standard practice” not to publicly release “technical arrangements” with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Congress is in the midst of a 60-day review of the nuclear deal, with a vote expected in September. President Barack Obama has stated he would veto a vote of disapproval of the deal by Congress and the White House is working to shore up support of Democrats to sustain the veto.

“The Iran agreement not only paves Iran’s path to nuclear capability, it will pave Iran’s path toward becoming a dominant power in the Middle East,” McCain said at the July 29 Senate hearing.

“Instead of enhancing our deterrence in Iran, it seems to enhance Iran’s deterrence of us,” he warned.

McCain pressed Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on the “side agreements” between Iran and the IAEA over verification procedures and past military dimensions of Teheran’s nuclear program. The Arizona Republican said the world powers ceded Iran too much control over key details that were left out of the deal.

Moniz testfied that neither he nor Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had obtained access to the documents outlining Iran’s commitments to the IAEA.

“It is absolutely astounding that you have not seen the documents which outline the practice of verification,” McCain said. “Otherwise how can we determine if we can enforce and verify?”

Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged that neither he nor any members of the administration had actually had access to the agreement itself.

“We are aware of what the basics of it are,” Kerry testified, adding that it “is not shared with the world, but we do get briefed on it.”

  Ernest Moniz, IAEA, in the dark on Iran side deals, Israel, John McCain, like U.S. Congress and public, WorldTribune.com, Yossi Cohen