Obama secures key vote to protect Iran nuclear deal in US Congress

Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski announced her support for the agreement, becoming the 32nd Senate Democrat, along with two independents, to back a pact announced on July 14, which exchanges sanctions relief for Iran for Tehran's agreeing to curtail its nuclear program.
President Obama was before that sensitive vote only one vote away from his 34 needed votes to deny Republicans the two-thirds majority they would need to override a veto.
Senators Bob Casey and Chris Coons, known as Iran hard-liners, both said they supported the agreement made between Iran and members of the Group 5+1 (US, Britain, Russia, China and France plus Germany).
However, according to Western media, there are only two Senate Democrats now publicly against the deal — Sens. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Bob Menendez (N.J.) along with an overwhelming majority of Republicans.
Reuters said so far 31 Senate Democrats and two independents who vote with them now support the deal and this is what it called “a potential legacy foreign policy achievement for Democratic President Barack Obama.”
Backers will need 34 votes in the Senate or 146 in the House of Representatives to sustain Obama's veto if a Republican-sponsored resolution of disapproval passes both chambers.
Congress has until September 17 to pass a resolution about the “historic” deal.
However, according to the hill newspaper which is published by the White House, when the Senate returns from its August recess after Labor Day, it will vote on a resolution disapproving the Iran deal.
Approving the deal will remove the final major hurdle standing in the way of its implementation which is to begin on October 18 as agreed by the two sides, said the newspaper.
On Oct. 18, a date known as adoption day, the parties will begin taking steps to put the agreement into place by rolling back crippling economic sanctions on Iran once international inspectors certify Tehran is abiding by limits on its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency in its latest report on Iran has in fact confirmed Tehran's compliance with its commitments regarding its nuclear program.
In its most recent update on Iran’s nuclear program, as reported by The Associated Press (AP), the IAEA said Iran has maintained its level of uranium enrichment, nuclear research and development and other activity in line with its declarations to the UN nuclear monitoring body.
President Obama is determined to prevent Congress from derailing the nuclear agreement, warning of a “historic mistake” that would do permanent damage to the US credibility abroad.
**1394**2329