The New Jersey senator serves as one of the senior members of the Foreign Relations Committee and has spoken out against the nuclear agreement in the past, although he has not made a definitive statement about how he will vote.
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“Moreover, the deal does not provide enough assurance that Iran will be restricted from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons“.
Another prominent Democratic senator has delivered a blow to President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.
Alan Elsner, a spokesman for the US based Jewish group J Street which supports the deal, said: “We remain confident that the votes will be there ultimately to sustain the president’s veto in both houses” of Congress. He also recommended authorizing Israel to “address the Iranian threat on their own” if Iran accelerates its nuclear program. And, in order to save the deal, 34 senators must vote in favor of the agreement, and Obama, as it stands, needs ten more votes.
Congress has until late September to decide whether to reject the agreement. Not shrink its infrastructure. Instead of two to three months, the U.S. believes it will take the Iranians one year to assemble its first nuclear bomb once the provisions of the deal expire.
McConnell himself has placed enormous emphasis on the looming debate over the deal, saying he will require all senators to be in their seats when the agreement is being discussed in the chamber and that all hearings will be postponed during that time. Again, that’s not to argue that there is any legal obstacle to prevent Obama from doing just that – but it is to question the wisdom of so abruptly shifting the course of American foreign policy with so little popular support.
Menendez stated his resistance isn’t a problem of whether he opposes or facilitates Barak that has pledged to veto a decision of disapproval.
Menendez also said the deal will end up “preserving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, not diminishing it, and its pathway towards a nuclear weapon is more guaranteed as a result of it at a time of their choosing”. Chuck Schumer, has committed to voting against it. Schumer is in line to lead Senate Democrats in 2017. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who had been heavily courted by the administration and was seen as a possible supporter, said over the weekend he would oppose the deal. He pointed out that throughout Obama’s term in office he has mainly backed the Democratic president, voting for Wall Street and healthcare reforms and other major initiatives. “We encourage the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to endorse this agreement”, the letter reads.
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Shariatmadari said in the editorial that many parts of the deal threaten Iran’s independence, security and “the sacred system of the Islamic republic of Iran” and would be “disastrous” if implemented.
