NEW YORK (JTA) — Four more U.S. senators have thrown their support behind the Iran nuclear deal and one more Democratic senator came out against it.
The four additional senators backing the agreement are Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey, Mark Warner of Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Michael Bennet of Colorado. Their support brings President Barack Obama to within three votes of blocking a congressional vote of disapproval on the nuclear agreement.
Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland announced Friday that he opposes the deal, becoming the third Democrat in the Senate to come out against the deal; the others are Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Cardin joins Schumer as Jewish senators against the deal.
READ: Sen. Ben Cardin opposes Iran deal
Obama already has enough votes in the Senate to sustain a presidential veto of any congressional disapproval of the nuclear agreement. With three more votes of support, Senate Democrats would have the 41 senators necessary to filibuster and thereby block a disapproval resolution from even coming to a vote.
So far, all but one of the Senate’s Republicans oppose the deal — Susan Collins of Maine is undecided. The deal, reached July 14 between Iran and six world powers led by the United States, will provide Iran with relief from certain sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.
Iran’s parliament has yet to formally endorse the deal.
