Report: Opponents of Iran Deal Need 4 More Democrat Votes to Scuttle JCPOA
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement only need four of 14 undecided Democratic Senators to put US President Obama in the awkward position of vetoing an attempt to block the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between Iran and world powers, a report said.
According to an article published by Politico on Friday, the current situation is a complicated race between hawks and the White House to win over an eclectic group of senators.
The report added that the votes of the following undecided Democratic Senators could play a leading role in deciding the fate of the deal: Ben Cardin of Maryland, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Coons of Delaware, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
If Senate Democrats can amass 41 votes in favor of the accord, they could block passage of a congressional resolution to disapprove of the deal.
If that doesn't happen and the Republican-led Senate votes to disapprove of the deal, President Barack Obama has vowed to veto it.
Democrats then would need 34 votes -- four more than they have now -- to prevent a congressional override of the presidential veto.
So far 30 Democratic Senators have come out in favor of the agreement. Just two Senate Democrats have said they will oppose the accord in Congress — Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany- also known as P5+1 or E3+3) finalized the text of lasting deal on Tehran’s nuclear program on July 14.
While the United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution to endorse the deal, the text of the document needs to be reviewed by both Iran and the US Congress.
US President Barack Obama has promised a swift veto in the event of a Congressional rejection of the agreement in September. US lawmakers would then have to find enough votes to override the president.