Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, wrote to colleagues on Monday backing the nuclear agreement with Iran, as congressional Republicans railed against a UN vote on the deal.
“As you may be aware, I believe that this agreement is a major accomplishment. I am pleased that the response thus far from House Democrats has been so positive,” she said in the letter released by her office. Pelosi’s backing is considered essential for the landmark deal to survive congressional review. The UN Security Council backed Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers on Monday.
In the letter, Pelosi noted that 100 former US ambassadors, both Democrats and Republicans, wrote last week supporting the pact and that dozens of national security experts from both parties issued a statement backing it on Monday. Congress received the Iran nuclear agreement on Sunday and will have 60 days from Monday to decide whether to approve or reject it. Republicans control majorities in both houses of Congress. But if they pass a resolution disapproving the nuclear agreement, they would need dozens of Democrats to vote with them to override President Barack Obama’s promised veto.
