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Potential GOP presidential candidates are embracing a hard line against President Obamas engagement with Iran, making it an early litmus test for ambitious Republicans and the most important foreign policy issue of the developing campaign.

A crop of lawmakers preparing to run for president is especially eager to call out Obamas overtures to Iran, using their perch on Capitol Hill to raise concerns and forcing potential rivals to pile on from afar.

The strategy could backfire Obama may ultimately yield an agreement embraced by other world powers and the American public. The White House and Democrats have also cast Senate Republicans who co-signed a letter to Iranian leaders this week as traitors for attempting to derail the talks.

The Republican push continued Wednesday, when Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) used his turn during a Foreign Relations Committee hearing about potential military action against the Islamic State to instead sharply question top officials about Iran.

I believe that much of our strategy with regards to ISIS is being driven by a desire not to upset Iran so that they dont walk away from the negotiating table on the deal that youre working on, Rubio said to Secretary of State John F. Kerry, using an acronym for the extremist group. Tell me why Im wrong.

Kerry responded that the United States and Iran actually are united against the Islamic State a Sunni group that Shiite Iran sees as every bit a threat to its regional influence as American bombers.

ISIS is a threat to them; its a threat to the region, Kerry said. And I think youre misreading it if you dont think that theres a mutual interest ... between every country in the region.

Rubios possible misreading aside, his comments were one of the latest moves in a GOP push that was rejuvenated Tuesday when Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sent a letter co-signed by 46 other Republican senators to top Iranian leaders, reminding them that a future president could act to undermine any nuclear deal agreed to by Obama and the multinational partners now negotiating with Iran in Switzerland.

Rubio and Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), who are all plotting presidential runs, were co-signers.

Paul, who like Rubio is on the Foreign Relations Committee, also questioned Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday.

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Iran grabs 2016 spotlight, as GOP contenders embrace hard line