Harry Reid to Support Iran Nuclear Deal
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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to support the Iran nuclear deal, he said on Sunday.
In a press release, the Nevada Democrat said he would vote against disapproval of the deal, which has been criticized by some in Congress, including a number of high profile Democrats. “I will vote no on the resolution…and urge my colleagues to do the same,” Reid said Sunday.
Calling the need to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon “one of the most important national security challenges of our generation,” Reid said that he believes the deal, agreed to by Iran and the P5+1 nations, “is the best path to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
“This nuclear agreement is consistent with the greatest traditions of American leadership,” Reid wrote, “I will do everything in my power to support this agreement and ensure that America holds up our end of the commitment we have made to our allies and the world to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.”
Noting the importance of the deal to protect Israel, and claiming that the hope that the Obama administration would be able to go back and get a better deal were the agreement disapprove by Congress a fallacy, Reid called the deal “a good agreement based on the merits.”
“If the Senate rejects this agreement, the international community will not support an attempt to secure another and they will not support the sanctions regime,” Reid warned. “Whether we like it or not, the current sanctions regime depends on other countries.”
Reid admits the deal is imperfect, going so far as to say that he does not trust Iran to hold up their end of the deal. “But this agreement is not based on trust – it is based on strict enforcement and rigorous verification monitoring and inspections,” Reid points out.
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