Senate

Heitkamp backs Iran deal

by Jordain Carney - 09/03/15 3:44 PM ET

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) threw her support behind the Iran deal on Thursday, calling it the “best chance” to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

“I support the agreement because it is the best chance we have to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and keep America safe,” she said in a statement. “It is not a perfect deal nor is this deal about trust — it’s about making sure we have in place the strongest mechanisms possible to accomplish our goal by holding Iran to the most sweeping concessions about its nuclear program it has ever made.”

{mosads}Heitkamp is the 37th senator to back the agreement since it was rolled out in mid-July. President Obama will need 41 votes in the Senate if he wants to keep a resolution of disapproval from passing, allowing him to avoid a veto. He received the 34th vote needed to uphold that potential veto earlier this week.

The North Dakota senator compared the upcoming vote to authorizing the Iraq War, saying that lawmakers should “give diplomacy a chance.”

“It’s about learning lessons from the war in Iraq that we are better off when we build support and work with our allies than when we go it alone,” she added.

Heitkamp is the latest red-state Democrat to come out in support of the deal. Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) are also backing the agreement, while Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is still undecided.

Manchin is one of of seven Senate Democrats who are still on the fence. Opponents will need at least four of them if they hope to force Obama to issue a veto.

Republicans have argued that if Congress rejects the deal, negotiators from the United States and five other countries could force Iran to abide by a better one.

But Heitkamp rejected that argument Thursday, saying that she’s been told by diplomats that “they will not go back to the bargaining table.” She added that the United States must be prepared to use military force to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that she will continue to push for an end to a ban on exporting oil.

While the North Dakota Democrat isn’t up for reelection until 2018, her decision comes amid speculation that she could make a governor’s run in 2016. Gov. Jack Dalrymple said earlier this month that he wouldn’t run for reelection.

Tags Heidi Heitkamp Iran deal