With the 34th vote on the Iran nuclear deal from US senator and Democratic party member, Sen Barbara Mikulski, Obama has secured a landmark foreign policy victory.
President Barack Obama secured a landmark foreign policy victory over ferocious opposition from Republicans and the government of Israel when Democratic Sen Barbara Mikulski became the 34th vote in favour of the Iran nuclear deal.
Mikulski's backing gives supporters the margin they need to uphold an expected Obama veto of a congressional resolution of disapproval that Republicans hope to pass later in September. And it spells failure for opponents of the international agreement who sought to foil it by turning Congress against it. Leading that effort were Israel and its allies in the United States, who failed to get traction after spending millions of dollars trying.
The agreement signed by Iran, the US and five other world powers limits Iran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from hundreds of billions of dollars in sanctions. Republicans and Israeli leaders contend that concessions made to Iran could empower that country, which has sworn to destroy Israel. "No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime," Mikulski said in a statement. "I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb. For these reasons, I will vote in favour of this deal." Secretary of State John Kerry is sending a letter to all members of Congress outlining US security commitments to Israel and the Gulf Arab states in light of the nuclear deal.
The letter comes as Kerry delivers a major policy speech on Wednesday in Philadelphia that focuses on how the international agreement makes the US and its allies safer and how the deal is being misunderstood by some opponents. "I really believe the fastest way to a genuine arms race in the Middle East is to not have this agreement," Kerry said in a nationally broadcast interview on Wednesday. "Because if you don't have this agreement, Iran has already made clear what its direction is."
With opposition to the agreement failing to take hold on the Democratic side, supporters may even be able to muster the 41 votes needed to block the resolution from passing in the first place, sparing Obama from having to use his veto pen. That would require seven of the 11 remaining undeclared senators to decide in favor of the deal.
Only two Democratic senators have come out against the deal - Chuck Schumer and Robert Menendez - while in recent weeks undeclared Democratic senators, even from red states, have broken in favour one after another.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "United States President Barack Obama")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}