Washington, Sep 2 (EFE).– The Obama administration is convinced that the nuclear pact reached with Iran by the United States and five other powers will ensure Tehran does not develop an atomic bomb, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

Kerry delivered a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia shortly after Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced her support for the accord, assuring the Democrats of the 34 votes needed to uphold President Barack Obama’s veto of an attempt to block the deal.

“The benefits of this agreement far outweigh any potential drawbacks,” the top U.S. diplomat said, reviewing one by one the arguments that the Obama administration has used to defend the pact.

Representatives of Iran and the P5+1 – the U.S., China, Russia, France and Britain, plus Germany – concluded the agreement on July 14 in Vienna.

Under the pact, Iran is to hand over most of its enriched uranium and accept years-long restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for an end to economic sanctions.

Kerry on Wednesday reiterated that those sanctions, in and of themselves, were not giving the hoped-for results and that the accord does not depend on promises or “trust” in the Iranian regime.

“I have had the privilege of serving our country in times of peace and in times of war, and peace is better,” concluded Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, who added that the pact with Iran “will remove a looming threat from a uniquely fragile region, discourage others from trying to develop nuclear arms, make our citizens and our allies safer and reassure the world that the hardest problems can be addressed successfully by diplomatic means.”

Sen. Mikulski, who represents Maryland, endorsed the Iran accord a day after fellow Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Chris Coons of Delaware.

The pledges of support from 34 Democrats mean opponents of the agreement in the Senate will not be able to muster the 67 votes it would take to override a presidential veto of a bill to derail the deal.

Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, are expected to pass measures rejecting the accord by sufficiently large margins to force Obama to use his veto power.

Only two Senate Democrats, Chuck Schumer of New York and New Jersey’s Bob Menendez, have publically declared their opposition to the nuclear accord.

Congress must vote on the accord by Sept. 17

The Obama administration has lobbied hard for the proposed accord, calling it the best chance to avoid a nuclear-armed Iran and avert a major conflict in the region. EFE