Tehran, Iran, August 19
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
The US Congress will definitely reject the recent nuclear deal with Iran, an Iranian MP said.
After the deal is rejected, President Barack Obama is also sure to veto the move, member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani told Trend August 19.
Ardestani's remarks followed statements by prominent democrat congressmen who said they would not back the deal.
Sen. Robert Menendez, a prominent Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced a day earlier that he will vote against the Obama administration's nuclear agreement with Iran.
Before Menendez, Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced his opposition to the deal last week.
The US administration seeks the support of enough Democrats to prevent Congress from overriding Obama's planned veto of any resolution that would sink the agreement.
So far, 23 of the 34 senators needed in the Senate to block an override of an Obama veto have announced their support for the deal, in which Iran accepts restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
Aredestani pointed out that the congressional rebuttal of the deal and the pursuing veto will take 60 days.
Also last week, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who had been heavily lobbied by the White House, announced he would oppose the deal, and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said August 17 he also would oppose it, leaving the administration unlikely to attract bipartisan support.
Under the deal, Obama will be able to lift sanctions that he and previous presidents imposed on Iran. But the remaining sanctions, imposed by Congress, will have to wait until the review process is finished on Capitol Hill.
The Iranian MP noted that Obama has hope in democrats only and is trying to persuade them to support the deal.
Officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the deal was reached on July 14.
On this side of the deal, the Iranian Parliament has said whether the Rouhani administration implements or rejects the deal will depend on a parliamentary vote.
Earlier the day, the Parliament announced it had selected 15 members of a special committee that is to decide whether Iran would adopt the deal.
Edited by CN