Lobbying efforts heat up over Iran deal
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons ran into Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer three times.
"He is a very informed and persuasive advocate for the Israeli perspective and he is a persistent and thorough critic of the context of these negotiations and he made some very strong points," Coons said.
The White House knows that the vote to approve or disapprove the deal, expected in September, puts Democrats, especially Jewish members of Congress, in a bind.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is waging an intense campaign to convince lawmakers that they should reject the deal. AIPAC and other groups and individuals are supporting Citizens for a Nuclear-Free Iran, which on Friday began a multimillion-dollar national TV and digital ad campaign against the accord.
The liberal Jewish Middle East lobby known as J Street has come out with a multimillion-dollar national campaign to shore up congressional support for the deal, with ads on network and cable TV.
