Does Robert Gates know what's in Menendez-Kirk?

In interviews following the publication of his new book, Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, Robert Gates appears to oppose legislation that would impose new sanctions on Iran.  But it's not entirely clear that he knows what's in the Menendez-Kirk bill that's currently been endorsed by 59 senators. Or rather, he does not direct his rather vague criticism at the actual provisions of that bill -- which, its proponents would argue, does exactly what Gates is calling for.

Gates told the Wall Street Journal*:

I think that the Senate's effort to pass additional sanctions now, that would become effective now, is a serious mistake, but unlike the administration, I would support the Senate, or Congress, voting additional sanctions, but that would be triggered only with the failure of the negotiations, so that it lets the Iranians know that if this negotiation doesn't work it's not just going back to the way things were at the beginning of the negotiations -- it will be worse for them.  So I think it strengthens the president's hand. We worry all the time about strengthening hardliners on the opposite side of the table. Maybe we oughtta tell the other side of the table that they oughtta worry about some of our hardliners (my transcript).

The summary of Menendez-Kirk circulated on Capitol Hill claims:

The bill does not violate the Joint Plan of Action.  New sanctions would only be imposed if Iran violates the interim agreement or does not reach a final agreement regarding its nuclear program.