John Kerry defends the Iran nuclear deal

(Image credit: AFP/Pool/Getty Images)

published 23 July 2015

Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday defended the recently negotiated Iran nuclear deal in testimony before the Senate. Kerry told skeptical lawmakers that he believed this plan is the only hope to curb Iran's nuclear capabilities, and warned that if the U.S. were to walk away from the plan, a culmination of nearly 20 months of negotiations, it would severely tarnish the country's reputation on the world stage.

"If the U.S., after laboriously negotiating this multilateral agreement with five other partners, were to walk away from those partners, we're on our own," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lawmakers have 60 days to review the deal, and President Obama has already vowed a veto if Congress votes against it.