Kerry warns of consequences if Congress rejects Iran nuclear deal

The best chance to resolve the Iran nuclear issue through peaceful means will be squandered if Congress moves to reject the agreement negotiated with Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Tuesday.

"Let me underscore, the alternative to the deal that we have reached is not some kind of unicorn fantasy that contemplates Iran 's complete capitulation," Kerry told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Testifying before the panel with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Kerry sought to win support from skeptical lawmakers, who have expressed deep concern that the deal did not go far enough to curb Iran's controversial nuclear program.

Iran and six world major countries -- the U.S., Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany -- reached an agreement on July 14 over the Iranian nuclear issue that will put Iran on the path of sanctions relief but more strict limits on its nuclear program.

"So in the real world, we have two options," Kerry said. " Either we move ahead with this agreement to ensure that Iran's nuclear program is limited, rigorously scrutinized and wholly peaceful, or we have no agreement at all -- no inspection, no restraints, no sanctions, no knowledge of what they're doing, and they start to enrich."

Congress is in the midst of 60-day review period of the deal. U. S. President Barack Obama had vowed to veto any congressional attempt to block the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. It requires two-thirds approval in both the House and Senate to override the veto.

Skepticism from members of Congress is also shared by the public as a new CNN/ORC poll found that a majority of Americans want Congress to reject the nuclear deal with Iran.

According to CNN, 52 percent of the respondents say Congress should reject the deal, while 44 percent say it should be approved.

The new poll finds a sharp partisan gap on the issue, with 66 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents saying Congress ought to reject it and 61 percent of Democrats saying it should be approved. Enditem