Senate Democrats back Obama, vote against anti-Iran resolution

Late Thursday they agreed on a party-line 245-186 vote to a measure specifying that Obama had not properly submitted all documents related to the accord for Congress’ review, and therefore a 60-day review clock had not really started.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has scheduled another vote Tuesday to end debate, but that motion is likely to be blocked by Senate Democrats as well. “If only Democrat Senators would stop blocking the American people from even having a final vote on one of the most consequential foreign policy issues of our age”, McConnell said in a statement before the vote. Congress has the potential to exhibit its best qualities here in a pursuit for nuclear nonproliferation.

“Either way this debate will continue”, he said.

With a 56-42 vote, the Republican-led Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation.

The nuclear agreement limits the Iranians to research only on newer IR-6 and IR-8 centrifuge technologies and after eight years allows the manufacture of only 30 for testing purposes.

McConnell said the second vote gave lawmakers another opportunity to “do the right thing” but argued Democratic leaders were determined to prevent an up-or-down vote on the agreement.

The House has not taken up the disapproval resolution, opting instead to pass a package of three anti-agreement bills that could pave the way for a possible legal challenge of the Iran deal by House Republicans.

“No, it won’t be easy, but I think it was Yogi Berra that said, ‘It ain’t over, til it’s over, ‘” said Coats.

Last week Republicans fell two votes shy of reaching the necessary count, and were hopeful on Tuesday that two Democrats would change their votes under pressure from constituents opposed to the deal.

I also opposed the deal because the American people have made clear they do not support it. In fact, a recent public poll by the Pew Research Center found that only 21 percent of Americans support the Iran deal. Disapproval of this deal makes it clear that Congress is willing to confront Iran’s non-nuclear illegal and inhumane activities. “It establishes historically unprecedented mechanisms to block Iran’s near-term pathway to a nuclear weapon”. “And that will be good news, and it will mean the worldwide community can move forward with implementing the agreement“. Li agreed, saying that China and Iran could strengthen cooperation in a number of fields after the deal is put into action and sanctions are lifted.