August 16, 2015
Matt Rourke/AP
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., meets with people after a news conference calling for federal officials to provide funding for a Delaware River dredging project, Friday, April 24, 2015, in Philadelphia.
A Pennsylvania progressive political organization is pressuring Sen. Bob Casey to support the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran.
Keystone Progress, a liberal online activist network, has started a petition asking the Democrat to come out in favor of the deal, citing the support from other countries and claiming it ensures Iran continues a "peaceful" nuclear program without acquiring a weapon.
It also says it would be "irresponsible" for him not support it and that it puts the United States in a better position to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon if they were to go back on the deal.
On Sunday, Keystone Progress' Twitter account retweeted those saying they had signed the petition, calling for Casey to back the deal.
As of last week, Casey was still undecided on the deal as he consults both independent experts and officials from the White House, the Morning Call reported.
In a July statement, Casey said he would review the deal to ensure Iran was prevented from getting a nuclear weapon while acknowledging Secretary of State John Kerry's diplomatic efforts.
Kerry has been reaching out to Senators, both Democratic and Republican, to try and drum up enough support to prevent a two-thirds majority from opposing it, enough to override an Obama veto.
Meanwhile, the state's Republican Sen. Pat Toomey has openly denounced the deal. He said it would enable the "Iranian terrorist machine" and applauded Democratic Senator from New York Chuck Schumer for voicing his opposition to the agreement.
