National Journal last night reported that progress is being made on advancing bipartisan Senate legislation that would impose sanctions on Iran if the Islamic republic fails to dismantle its nuclear program during an upcoming negotiation period.

Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, the lead Republican working on a bipartisan Iran sanctions bill, told reporters Tuesday that he’s optimistic the measure will come out soon and that members involved can push it forward. “It’s coming,” he said Tuesday, after voting on an unrelated budget measure. “I was just talking to Senator Schumer about progress. Hoping to do that and to work it out with Bob Menendez.”…Kirk said his goal is to keep his expected Democratic cosponsors like Menendez and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York content and united. “But obviously for me it’s to work closely with majority partners who control timing and when things can be offered,” he said. “We are in pretty good shape.”

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has also in recent months expressed pointed concerns over Iran’s nuclear drive and the efficacy of current negotiations. Lawmakers from both parties are known to be concerned that U.S. concessions made in the context of the recent Geneva agreement extend beyond the $7 billion price tag that the administration has publicly acknowledged, and that a variety of factors from simple undercounting to the stabilization of market expectations has substantially eroded Western leverage heading into negotiations over a comprehensive agreement.

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