Republican lawmakers have opened a new avenue of attack on the Iran nuclear accord by criticizing what they call ¡°secret side deals¡± governing the inspection process that will be withheld from Congress.

Confidential agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will inspect Iran¡¯s nuclear facilities, emerged as a key point of contention with Republicans at a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Administration officials said such agreements are standard procedure for international inspections, while critics said the pacts add a layer of secrecy to a deal that¡¯s raised national security concerns.