Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has announced his support for the Iran nuclear deal.
Reid (D-Nevada) called the deal the “best way” to curtail Iran’s military ambitions in an Aug. 23 interview with the Washington Post.
“This is the best way, the only way, to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” Reid said, adding he would “do everything in my power to make sure the deal stands.”
Reid is the 27th Senate Democrat to publicly endorse the plan, in which the United States and five other world powers offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for scaling back its nuclear program, according to the Post.
On Aug. 21, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) announced his support for the agreement, citing “in large part” his support for Israel.
The Jewish lawmaker had withheld his support for the deal for over three weeks, during which he has studied its details and received answers to questions about it directly from President Barack Obama, he wrote in a statement.
To a large extent, it is “because of my support for Israel that I have made the decision,” he wrote. “I am convinced it is the best option for achieving our overriding security imperative.”
Nadler is the sole Jewish lawmaker from his state to support the deal, the New York Times reported.
Earlier this month, Sen. Charles Schumer, another Jewish Democrat from New York, said he would not support the deal.
In an apparent reference to some of Schumer’s critics, Nadler wrote, “I am outraged that some on the Left are making anti-Semitic accusations of dual loyalty or treason when someone, particularly a Jewish member of Congress, decides to oppose the agreement.”
Since Schumer’s announcement, a total of 26 Senate Democrats have come out in favor of the agreement. —jta