US Secretary of State John Kerry has hit back at critics of his nuclear deal with Iran, saying it was “fantasy” to suggest a better accord was possible.
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.”
Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio told him the deal was “fundamentally flawed”.
Congress has until 17 September to approve or reject the deal.
Meanwhile, Iran’s president has also been defending last week’s agreement, which was the result of nearly two years of intense negotiations with the P5+1 group of world powers – the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany.
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.
