President Obama said Senate Democrats scored a “victory for diplomacy” on Thursday after 42 of them successfully blocked a Republican resolution that would have registered lawmakers’ disapproval of the plan to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
While Republicans said the vote was one that stopped the Senate from debating and voting on the deal, Obama said the vote was one that will “enable the United States to work with our international partners to enable the implementation of the comprehensive, long-term deal that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
“This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security, and for the safety and security of the world,” he said in a statement.
“Over the last several weeks, the more members studied the details of this deal, the more they came out in support,” he said. “Today, I am heartened that so many senators judged this deal on the merits, and am gratified by the strong support of lawmakers and citizens alike.”
“Going forward, we will turn to the critical work of implementing and verifying this deal so that Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon, while pursuing a foreign policy that leaves our country — and the world — a safer place,” he added.
After two years of negotiations “we have had the most consequential national security debate since the decision to invade Iraq more than a decade ago,” Obama said, continuing a comparison of the two issues that he started during a major speech on the Iran deal delivered at American University Aug. 5.
Senate Republicans are expected to try again next week to advance the disapproval resolution, but as of this week, there’s no sign any of the 42 Democrats will change their minds.
