U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced Tuesday that after carefully reviewing the Iran nuclear agreement she plans on supporting it.
In a statement, Esty said the deal is “far from perfect” but believes it gives the U.S. “the best chance to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”
“The Iranian nuclear deal is the beginning, but only the beginning of a new, multinational commitment,” Esty said in a statement. “It is not enough to sign a piece of paper. We must commit to ensuring that the inspectors have the resources to carry out the agreement and that they have access to the most sophisticated technology.”
However, Esty acknowledged that it’s not enough to support the deal.
“Make no mistake — Iran will test our resolve. We must be vigilant, and we must be ready,” Esty said.
Esty joins most of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation in supporting the deal negotiated between the U.S., China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Iran.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is now the lone undecided member of the delegation.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Blumenthal said it’s “one of the most consequential” votes he will cast as a member of the Senate. He said the vote will be one of “conscience and conviction,” but he’s not ready to announce just yet where he stands.
Blumenthal said he expects to have a decision in the next couple of weeks after he gets a number of questions answered by the Obama administration. Blumenthal declined to say exactly what questions remain to be answered because that would defeat the purpose of a frank discussion on the issue.
Blumenthal said he’s still digging into the documents and listening to supporters and opponents and most importantly the people of Connecticut.
As one of the last holdouts in the Senate, Blumenthal is being targeted by special interest groups that have purchased television ads asking him to vote against the deal. Former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman is listed as a member of the boards for at least two of the groups that have purchased airtime in Connecticut to oppose the deal.
Lieberman is on the board of the American Security Initiative and he’s also on the advisory board of Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran.
It’s unclear if Lieberman is one of the people Blumenthal has spoken to in an effort to reach his decision.
Local constituents who are members of MoveOn.org say they plan to gather outside Blumenthal’s Hartford office at noon Wednesday to encourage him to support the deal.