International
Yuri Gripas / Reuters
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said on Thursday he had decided to oppose the nuclear deal with Iran negotiated by the Obama administration.
“To me, the very real risk that Iran will not moderate and will, instead, use the agreement to pursue its nefarious goals is too great,” said Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, said in a statement.
“Therefore, I will vote to disapprove the agreement, not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to challenge the path of diplomacy. It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power,” Schumer wrote.
He is among the most influential lawmakers in Congress and is the first Senate Democrat to announce his opposition to the agreement. Another influential lawmaker, U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also said on Thursday he would oppose the nuclear pact.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing lawmakers to oppose the nuclear agreement, which he considers a threat to his country's survival.
Obama has been engaged in his own lobbying effort, including a speech on Wednesday in which he said abandoning the agreement would open up the prospect of war.
Schumer’s declaration of support for a Congressional motion of disapproval of the Iran deal is emphatic, but President Barack Obama has already made clear his intention to veto any such legislation. That would present Schumer and other Democrats voting against the deal with a decision over whether to support an effort to override such a veto.
A congressional aide said Engel would vote for a resolution of disapproval and also vote to override an Obama veto if the resolution passed Congress, according to Reuters.
Under the terms of legislation passed in May, Congress has 60 days, or until Sept. 17, to review the deal and pass a resolution accepting or rejecting the accord. A resolution of disapproval would prevent Obama from lifting sanctions put in place by Congress — a critical part the agreement.
Nonetheless, Schumer’s decision, first reported by The Huffington Post, may free other Democrats to join with Republicans against the deal.
So far, there are 12 Democrats in the Senate who have announced they are backing the deal, as is Sen. Angus King of Maine, according to The New York Times.
Among them is Schumer's colleague from New York, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who announced her support for the deal on Thursday. Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who is running as a Democrat for the 2016 nomination, is considered likely to support the deal.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has come out in favor of the deal, and 150 Democratic lawmakers from the House signed a letter encouraging the negotiations, indicating they will likely back the agreement.
Al Jazeera with wire services
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