Iran nuclear deal: Kerry defends 'only viable option'

By BBC

US Secretary of State John Kerry has defended a nuclear deal with Iran, calling it the "only viable option" for a peaceful resolution of the issue.

He told the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee: "We set out to dismantle [Iran's] ability to build a nuclear weapon and we achieved that."

But Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio told him the deal was "fundamentally flawed".

Meanwhile, Iran's president has also been defending last week's accord.

Hassan Rouhani, in a speech broadcast live on television, said the deal represented "a new page in history" and was wanted by the Iranian people.

Under the deal, Iran must curb its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Tehran has always insisted its nuclear ambitions are peaceful and energy-related.

Scepticism

Mr Kerry told the committee hearing that the US administration came to the negotiating table with one clear objective - to address the issue of nuclear weapons.

He said that it was pointless to insist on dismantling Iran's whole nuclear programme, as it already had experience in nuclear technology and enough fissile material to build 10-12 nuclear bombs.

"The choice we face is between an agreement that will ensure Iran's nuclear programme is limited, rigorously scrutinised and wholly peaceful - or no deal at all."

The agreement faces strong resistance in Congress, particularly among Republicans, who have until 17 September to make a decision on whether to approve or reject the deal.

Could US Congress torpedo the deal?

• Congress has 60 days to review the agreement
• During that time, President Obama cannot lift the sanctions Congress has imposed on Iran
• Congress can reject the deal, and keep the sanctions in place, but Mr Obama can veto that
• It would need a two-thirds majority to overturn the veto, which is unlikely