Continued Discussions in the U.S. Senate Aiming for a New Vote on the Nuclear Agreement

Discussions regarding the Iran nuclear agreement began on Tuesday in the U.S. Senate and will continue until a new vote on the nuclear deal with Iran. According to the Associated Press, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, wants to put the sufficiency of negotiations regarding the Iran nuclear agreement to a vote in the Senate again, and Republican representatives in the Senate have been working for several hours to persuade members. If at least 60 senators vote positively on the sufficiency of negotiations, the U.S. Senate will put the issue of rejecting the Iran nuclear agreement to a vote. The sufficiency of negotiations regarding the Iran nuclear agreement was also voted on last Thursday in the Senate but failed to meet the necessary threshold. According to a U.S. Congressional resolution, both the House of Representatives and the Senate have until September 17 (26th of Shahrivar) to vote positively or negatively on this agreement. What happened in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday? Republicans in the U.S. Senate pressured for a final discussion on the Iran nuclear agreement before the congressional review period expires. However, Democrats were prepared to block any actions that would undermine this international agreement and President Barack Obama’s victory regarding a major foreign policy initiative. According to the Associated Press, the Senate intends to vote for the second time in a week on a bill to reject the agreement with Iran, and it is expected that, as before, Democrats will have enough votes to prevent it. In the Tuesday session in the U.S. Senate, the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused Democratic senators of not allowing the Senate to vote on the agreement. He stated, 'A strong majority from both parties in the House of Representatives voted to reject the agreement. A strong majority from both parties in the Senate will also vote to reject the agreement if only Democratic senators stop preventing the American people from having even a final vote on one of the most important foreign policy issues of our time.' Democrats, led by Harry Reid, the Senate Minority Leader, maintain that the issue has been resolved, especially since the congressional review period expires on Thursday. Vatican's Reception of the Nuclear Agreement The Associated Press reports that this agreement has gained strength ahead of Pope Francis's visit to Washington next week, with the Vatican welcoming this agreement. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican Minister for Relations with States, stated on Monday in Vienna that the Vatican supports the agreement because it believes the best way to resolve disputes is through dialogue and negotiation. Gallagher expressed hope that the full implementation of the agreement would, as he said, 'guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program' and 'be a decisive step towards greater stability and security in the region.' The Associated Press notes that although this action is unlikely to proceed, Republicans are holding this Senate vote to gain political leverage against Democrats and future Senate contests. They refer to polls indicating that Americans have concerns about this agreement. Republicans are also working to maintain a hardline stance against Iran by drafting a bill containing new sanctions. Looking towards next year's elections, Republican campaign committees are targeting Democrats who supported the agreement, and some organizations opposing the agreement have previously threatened to cut political contributions to congressional representatives who supported the agreement.