Majority says Congress should reject Iran deal

A majority of Americans says that Congress should reject an international accord lifting sanctions on Iran in exchange for new limits on its nuclear program, according to a new CNN/ORC International Poll.

{mosads}Fifty-two percent of Americans say Congress should reject the deal, compared to 44 percent who say it should be approved, according to the poll, released Tuesday morning.

Two-thirds of Republicans, 66 percent, and a majority of independents, 55 percent, say Congress should reject the deal.

Sixty-one percent of Democrats, however, say the deal reached between Iran and the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China should be approved, something President Obama has sought.

Several members of the Obama administration involved in selling the Iran plan to Congress will return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, where they were ripped by GOP lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), said Monday that his colleagues are being receptive to the lobbying push in support of the multinational deal over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Tuesday’s CNN/ORC poll contrasts with an ABC/Washington Post survey out last week that showed a majority of Americans — 56 percent — supports the Iran deal, while 37 percent oppose it.

That poll also found deep skepticism among the American public for the deal. Sixty-four percent said they are barely, if at all, confident the accord will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The latest CNN/ORC survey of 1,017 U.S. adults was conducted July 22-25 via telephone with a margin of error of 3 points.