Kerry Says JCPOA Benefits Eclipse Potential Drawbacks

“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,” Kerry made the remarks after the US Republicans failed to kill the Iran nuclear agreement on Thursday.

"The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 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."

He added, “Going forward, the State Department and the entire Administration will be fully committed to implementing and verifying this agreement to ensure that Iran lives up to the commitments it has made.”

42 Democrats voted on Thursday in favor of the agreement and prevented a resolution disapproving the deal.

The Republicans, however, have vowed to continue to fight, expressing the hope that some Democrats would vote differently next time.

"We'll revisit the issue next week and see if maybe any folks want to change their minds," the Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said in a speech angrily denouncing the vote.

Under a law Obama signed in May, Congress has a 60-day period ending on September 17 to pass a resolution disapproving of the July 14 agreement.

If such a resolution were to pass, and survive Obama's promised veto, it would bar the president from waiving many US sanctions on Tehran, a key component of the nuclear deal.