House Republicans: We Have Enough Votes to Reject the Agreement with Iran

On Monday, August 12, House Republicans announced that they have enough votes to reject the nuclear agreement with Iran, while Democrats have expressed their support for the deal signed between Iran and six world powers. According to the Associated Press, since Republicans hold 246 seats in the House of Representatives, there is a high likelihood that they can gather 218 votes to support a proposal to reject this agreement, introduced by Peter Roskam, a Republican representative from Illinois. Mr. Roskam stated, "Time is not on the side of the agreement. The more time members (of the House) spend reviewing this agreement, the more they realize it is a historical mistake." It is still unclear whether Republicans will be able to gather enough votes to override a potential veto from Barack Obama regarding such a proposal. The U.S. President hopes that Democratic support for the Iran agreement can prevent its rejection in Congress. Adam Schiff and Anna Eshoo, from California, were added to the expanding list of representatives who have stated their support for this international treaty. Mr. Schiff, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that the agreement with Iran "realistically prevents Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons" for at least the next 15 years. The U.S. Congress has 60 days to review this agreement and is expected to vote on its rejection or approval by September 15, or not vote on it at all. Ms. Eshoo stated that her decision is not based on trust in Iran; "on the contrary, this regime has a long list of violations in its record that I strongly oppose, but there must be a mechanism to keep them from possessing nuclear power." Senior Republicans in the House have stated their reasons for opposing the nuclear agreement with Iran and six world powers, claiming that this agreement does not prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while also releasing billions of dollars of Iran's frozen assets due to sanctions, which will be spent on "terrorist groups" such as Hezbollah and Hamas. John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House, stated on July 22 that he and other members of Congress would "do everything they can" to prevent the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Iran and the members of the 5+1 group finally reached a comprehensive and final agreement on July 14 after two years of negotiations in various cities around the world, under which Tehran will limit many of its nuclear activities, and in return, UN, U.S., and EU sanctions against it will be reduced or lifted. In this context, Obama compared opponents of the nuclear agreement with Iran to warmongers. John Boehner: I will do everything to prevent the implementation of the Iran agreement. Republican candidate: The nuclear agreement drives Israelis into the furnace. Obama: I have not yet heard a strong argument against the nuclear agreement with Iran. Carter: There is no prospect of changing Iran's behavior after the agreement. Obama urged his supporters to be more active in supporting the nuclear agreement. The U.S. Energy Secretary: The nuclear agreement with Iran will certainly be implemented. Araqchi: We should announce the final opinion on the agreement before the U.S. Congress. Kerry: The nuclear agreement with Iran will certainly make Egypt and the region safer.