“I don’t know how you cut a deal with the devil and think the devil is going to keep his end of the deal,” House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday after Obama bowed to pressure from Republicans and Democrats and agreed to sign compromise legislation.

The legislation, unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would give lawmakers a say on what could be a historic deal aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. In exchange, the influential Islamic nation in the Middle East would get relief from economic sanctions stifling its economy.

The rare and reluctant agreement between the president and the Republican-led Congress came after the White House maintained for weeks that congressional interference could jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Tehran. The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China reached a preliminary agreement with Iran on April 2 to curb its nuclear program and hope to finalize a pact by June 30.

Despite the resistance from the White House, lawmakers from both parties insisted that Congress have a formal role in reviewing and possibly voting down any deal.

“I have always supported congressional review of any final agreement with Iran,” said Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the committee, who emphasized that the bill will not permit any legislative action until after the White House presents Congress with any final deal that can be reached to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.

“If a final agreement with Iran is received in a timely manner, Congress will have 30 calendar days for an orderly and thoughtful review. If an agreement with Iran goes into effect, then this bill ensures an ongoing oversight role for Congress and provides for expedited procedures to snap back sanctions if Iran breaches the agreement,” Cardin said.

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