WASHINGTON, Sept 11: US Senate Democrats blocked a united Republican resolution to reject a landmark nuclear deal with Iran, handing President Barack Obama a major victory on his foreign policy priority.
The resolution got 58-42 votes yesterday, as against 60 required to move it forward.
Soon thereafter, Obama said the Senate took a historic step forward and voted to enable the US to work with its international partners to enable the implementation of the comprehensive, long-term deal that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security, and for the safety and security of the world. For nearly two years, we negotiated from a position of strength to reach an agreement that meets our core objectives,” he said.
“Since we concluded these negotiations, we have had the most consequential national security debate since the decision to invade Iraq more than a decade ago. Over the last several weeks, the more members studied the details of this deal, the more they came out in support,” Obama said.
The Republicans, however, refused to concede defeat saying they would force Democrats to vote on Iran again next week.
“It will be all Iran next week,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said. “There are going to be more votes. There will be other opportunities for people to change their mind next week, hopefully after they hear from their constituents.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry described the Senate vote as an important step forward toward the US and its international partners implementing the agreement reached in Vienna on July 14, 2015, to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“I am grateful to the Members of the Senate who carefully reviewed the agreement and deliberated on its provisions. I know that for many of my former colleagues, this decision was extremely difficult, but I am convinced that the benefits of the agreement far outweigh any potential drawbacks,” he said.
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action includes the most extensive verification and transparency provisions ever negotiated; it mandates strict cutbacks and enduring limits on Iran’s nuclear activities; and it prohibits Iran from developing a nuclear weapon forever,” Kerry said.
Following the vote, Senator Chuck Grassley said the Iran deal is bad for the national security of the United States and for that of its allies around the world.
“If anything needs scrutiny, it’s the Iran deal. A lot of senators agree the deal is badly flawed. A bipartisan majority opposes it. The opposition to move to debate today was partisan, even though the opposition to the deal is not,” he said. (PTI)
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