Speech will frame lawmakers’ vote as their most consequential since 2002 Iraq war resolution
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama plans to make his sharpest sales pitch yet in favor of the Iran nuclear deal that the U.S. and other world powers reached three weeks ago, with a lengthy speech on Wednesday outlining his argument in detail for Americans.
The president will speak at American University in Washington as the battle heats up between the White House and opponents of the deal, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to win over lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are expected to vote on the agreement next month.
The deal negotiated between Iran and a six-nation negotiating bloc strictly limits Tehran’s nuclear activity for at least a decade in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
A core component of Mr. Obama’s argument on Wednesday will be to frame lawmakers’ decision on the Iran deal as the most consequential congressional vote since the 2002 Iraq war authorization.