The 34th vote supporting the Iranian nuclear deal is secured meaning that the Senate will not be able to sustain a veto.
“Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) announced Wednesday that she would back President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran — becoming the 34th vote in the Senate in favor of the agreement and ensuring that the accord will be protected from attempts to kill it in Congress,” Politico reported Wednesday.
To date, 34 Senators have announced their support of the deal while 32 have said they will oppose it. The vote will occur later this month following 60 days of deliberations. Various lobbying groups — both for and against the deal — are pushing members of Congress. Many opponents say the deal was not good enough while supporters say it was the best option on the table. A heavy campaign has been waged by groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) against the deal. On the other side, pro-Israel J-street has thrown their support behind the deal and set up meetings between prominent Israelis and American lawmakers to buttress their efforts.
The deal has been described by the White House as historic, as relations between Iran and the U.S. thaw after more than 35 years of tension following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The deal plans to release $100 billion to Iran in frozen assets. In exchange, Iran cannot enrich uranium beyond 3.67 percent for at least 15 years and must dilute or sell already enriched uranium. This prevents Iran from producing the ingredients necessary to build a nuclear weapon. Iran must also allow inspectors into all nuclear facilities, including military sites.