WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is backing the international accord with Iran. The former Democratic Party chairman made the announcement on Tuesday in a speech on the Senate floor. He says the deal takes Iran’s nuclear program that was on the verge of success and disables it for many years through peaceful diplomatic means. He said the pact reached by the United States, Western powers and Tehran is a “dramatic improvement over the status quo” in boosting global security. Kaine is a member of the Foreign Relations and the Armed Services committees. His support is crucial to the Obama administration and its all-out campaign to secure the backing of congressional Democrats in the face of uniform Republican opposition.
