Republican Lawmakers Vow Fight to Derail Nuclear Deal

Mr. Corker, the chief author of the review act, strongly implied that he was in the latter camp.

 

Republican opposition to diplomatic overtures dates at least to President Richard M. Nixon’s visit to China. Even President Ronald Reagan faced a backlash after raising the prospects of deep nuclear arms reductions after meeting Mikhail S. Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland.

 

For the White House, selling the deal to Congress, including doubters in the president’s own party, may prove almost as difficult as reaching agreement with Iran.

 

Mr. Obama defended the deal in a lengthy interview with the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and scheduled a formal news conference at the White House on Wednesday to address questions about it, while Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to meet with House Democrats on Capitol Hill to build support among lawmakers.

 

There was no similar effort to assuage Republicans, whose repudiation of the Iran deal was a blow not only to Mr. Obama but also to conservative leaders the party usually backs, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

 

Read More: Republican Lawmakers Vow Fight to Derail Nuclear Deal – The New York Times