PM says ‘clear majority’ of lawmakers oppose Iran deal

As US President Obama clinched enough Senators to sustain his veto of a bill trying to kill the Iranian nuclear deal, sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say that a “clear majority” of lawmakers oppose the deal, calling on more legislators to join the no-deal camp.

“The prime minister said before addressing the Congress in March that it is his duty to present Israel’s grave concerns about the deal with Iran to the American people and their representatives,” the sources tell The Times of Israel. “The American people get it. They understand the dangers to Israel. They understand the dangers to the United States. That’s why a clear majority believe the deal should be rejected, which is also reflected in Congress, where a clear majority seems prepared to reject the deal.”

The stronger the opposition in Congress to the deal, the stronger the message to Iran and to America’s allies in the region and the greater the likelihood that that message will be reflected in US policy moving forward, the sources say.

Netanyahu has no doubt that US-Israel relations will remain strong despite Jerusalem’s bitter anti-deal campaign, the sources add.

— Raphael Ahren