Kerry warns of consequences if nuclear deal with Iran fails

Washington: Secretary of State John Kerry is warning members of Congress that if they vote to disapprove the nuclear deal negotiated with Iran, Tehran will move forward toward an atomic bomb, international sanctions will crumble and the US will be left without with any of the access and inspections that are part of the deal.

Kerry told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that they face a choice between an agreement that will curb Iran’s nuclear program and impose strict inspections, or no deal at all. If the US walks away from the agreement, Kerry says America’s international partners will not follow.

He pledged that the US will continue to push back against Iran for its support of terrorism and human rights violations.

But he says it will be harder to push back against a nuclear-armed Iran.

House Republicans oppose the deal and Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the committee, suggested that the deal might just be pushing the “pause button” on Iran getting a nuclear weapon for 15 years.