NY Democrat Serrano announces support for Iran deal

Democratic Senator Jose E. Serrano of New York on Friday announced his support for the Iran nuclear deal when it comes to a vote in September.

With Serrano’s backing, congressional advocates of the agreement are inching closer to approving the deal in the first round of voting, the New York Times reported Friday.

The Iran deal was “the most sensible and viable way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon now and in the future,” Serrano, who represents the Bronx, said in a statement.

“I firmly believe that the comprehensive oversight and restrictions put in place by this agreement will put the United States, and our allies, in the best position to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he added.

President Barack Obama, who earlier this year signed on to legislation giving Congress oversight over the agreement, vowed to use his presidential veto if the deal is voted down in Congress.

Serrano represents mainly black and Hispanic districts in the city and was until now one of six lawmakers who were undecided on whether to support the deal. With Republican opposition a foregone conclusion, the White House needs at least 34 lawmakers on its side for a supermajority that can override a presidential veto.

Before Serrano’s announcement, 30 Democratic senators voiced support for the legislation, according to CNN.

While New York votes mostly Democrat, many lawmakers representing Jewish and pro-Israel populations are hesitant to stand behind the president.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the deal from the moment of its announcement and all Jewish lawmakers but one – Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) – denounced it.

Lawmakers who have announced either their opposition or support for the deal have urged their colleagues to vote on whether they believe it can prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons rather than for partisan considerations.

Serrano’s support comes a day after Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, who represents the East Side of Manhattan and parts of Queens and Brooklyn, said she would vote against it.

Maloney said she believed the deal would make the Middle East “even more dangerous.”

The White House hopes the agreement will help make Tehran a force of stability in the region.

The agreement, signed in Vienna in July, promises to ease economic sanctions imposed on Iran in return for the latter’s freezing its nuclear program and shipping out most of its stock of uranium capable of being enriched to fissile material grade.

Critics of the deal said the mechanism of monitoring whether Iran abides the agreement is flawed, and cite the Islamic Republic’s past cheating on agreements related to its atomic research program.

Iran says the program is not meant for the production of weapons.