WASHINGTON D.C. (WOWO): The Iran nuclear deal will take effect now that opponents don't have the votes to block the deal in the Senate. Supporters of the deal had previously gotten help from Indiana's Democratic Senator. 

Any resolution to block the the Obama administration's Iran deal could not survive a veto from the president now that 34 Senate Democrats say they will support the deal. Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski was the key 34th vote, as she announced on Wednesday. 

Indiana's Joe Donnelly was the 24th supporter of the agreement, even though he backed the deal with reservations. “While I share the concerns expressed by the agreement’s critics about what may happen 10, 15, or 20 years from now, I cannot in good conscience take action that would shift the potential risks of 2026 and 2031 to 2016,” Donnelly said on August 19, the date he announced he would vote for the agreement. 

Donnelly was the co-sponsor of the bill giving Congress the right to vote on the Iran deal before it is implemented, and he says he believes it is the best chance to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapons. “I do not trust Iran. I trust our ability to verify this, to make sure they do not cross any nuclear thresholds. If they do, all the military options we have today, we will have tomorrow as well,” Donnelly said. 

One of the few Democrats in the Senate from a mostly Republican state, Donnelly was targeted by ads from some outside groups who oppose the deal, including one that was co-founded by former Democratic Senator Evan Bayh. But Donnelly says his opinion on the agreement was heavily influenced by a Republican – former Indiana Senator Dick Lugar. Lugar wrote an op-ed piece last month supporting the nuclear deal, and he reiterated his support in a joint op-ed with former Democratic Senator Sam Nunn. 

Under terms of the agreement, Iran must get rid of 98% of its stockpile of enriched uranium, two-thirds of its centrifuges and the existing core of its heavy water plutonium reactor. It will also be barred from producing or acquiring highly enriched uranium or weapons-grade plutonium for 15 years, permanently barred from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and subject to what supporters of the deal call “the most comprehensive and intrusive inspections regime in history.