[xzins]

Thanks to Senator Cotton, Iran is LEGALLY on notice that any agreement with Obama is not binding. Except for Cotton's actions, Iran could have claimed in otherwise in court. So, Krauthammer and others were wrong. Iran was precisely the addressee to which Cotton's letter should have been directed.

This is illustrated by Zarif’s further suggestion that an agreement negotiated by Obama alone would represent a U.S. “obligation.” He is mistaken, of course; a country is not obligated by an agreement when the other party knew the putative agent who entered the agreement actually had no authority to do so. Under the circumstances, Iran could assume that the President could bind the U.S. to an agreement unless the Senate, or at least a large number of Senators, spoke up.