Kerry said it is a “good deal” that “gets the job done”.
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“I do trust the U.S. military, and our intelligence assets will be watching Iran with a hawk eye”, Tester said.
SEC. JOHN KERRY: Are you kidding me? “But I’m telling you, there’s a huge antipathy out there” to U.S. leadership.
Proponents, including the White House, say it effectively prevents Iran from building a nuclear bomb by blocking potential paths to its creation, and requiring worldwide inspectors be allowed to monitor a number of sites. They argue Iran will receive a financial windfall when sanctions lapse, and the country will still be on the cusp of building a nuclear weapon. Notwithstanding all of these attacks on us, we have pursued our program, which we think is our right, we’re not outside the [Non-Proliferation Treaty], they’ve never left the NPT. It may acquire ICBM’s in eight years and will eventually be free to enrich without limitation, enabling it to become a nuclear weapons threshold state and reducing the “breakout time” between enrichment and nuclear weapons to zero.
“I can not support any agreement that threatens the safety of the American people, betrays our allies in the region, or places millions of innocent civilians in the region at risk”.
Schumer, the first Senate Democrat to emerge publicly in opposition to the deal, also warned against the “snapback” provisions designed to reimpose sanctions should Iran cheat the deal, calling them “complicated and awkward”.
Facing a tough vote in Congress and a skeptical American public, President Obama’s administration got some backup on the Iran nuclear deal this week when three dozen retired generals and admirals published an open letter in the Washington Post in support of the agreement. Chuck Schumer as the only Democrats officially against the deal.
“He’s done something to give himself and others who support the deal cover by saying he has given the president authority to use military strength”, Schurin said.
The Iran deal will come up for debate in September, when GOP congressional leaders plan to bring up a resolution of disapproval designed to block the deal from taking effect. “The choice is that stark”, the officials said.
Moniz and the top State Department negotiator in the Iran talks, Wendy Sherman, met with about 40 members of Metro Detroit’s Jewish community last Thursday night in Birmingham along with the state’s two undecided senators.
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Besides Larson, Reps. Joe Courtney, D-2 District, and Jim Himes, D-4 District, say they back the nuclear agreement. They may be able to succeed with the vote, because it only needs a majority in the Congress to basically reject the deal, and prevent President Obama from lifting the sanctions.
