Americans pack Times Square in protest at Iran deal

NEW YORK - Protesters poured into New York's Times Square on Wednesday to protest the Iran nuclear deal as a threat to Israel and global security, demanding that the US Congress reject the pact.

Speakers, including Republican politicians, called on Congress to throw it out, whipping up the crowd that included supporters of right-wing Jewish and evangelical Christian groups.

"We're here as Americans to speak with one voice to say stop Iran now, reject this deal," said George Pataki, the former three-term Republican governor of New York.

"This is a God-awful deal, this must be rejected. Congress must do its job and stand up for the American people, stand up for our safety and say no to this Iranian deal," he said.

The New York Post reported that Pataki also said that the agreement “poses a threat to our safety and security here in New York,” and said he believed President Barack Obama had “violated his oath of office” in connection with it.

He went on, saying that the Iran deal would further destabilise the Middle East and “guarantee an arms race”.

Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, co-organiser of the Stop Iran Rally, claimed that there were 10,000 people in the crowd. Protesters held up US flags and placards denouncing the deal.

A spokesperson for the organizers said protesters had packed an entire block on both sides of Seventh Avenue.

Organizers played a montage of news reports about bombings around the world carried out by militant groups allegedly linked to Iran. "Iran has been killing Americans for 36 years," it said. 

"Stop the deal."

Staunchly pro-Israel democrat Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor, appealed to fellow liberals to side with Republican opposition.

"It is a bad deal for Democrats. It is a bad deal for liberals. I am here opposing this deal as a liberal Democrat," he said.

The rally expressed support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose criticism of the deal has strained relations with Obama.

Obama last Wednesday held a press conference defending the Iran deal, asking critics to offer a better alternative.

Recent polls have suggested that of the 79 percent of Americans who heard about the deal, 48 percent disapprove.

The Republican-majority Congress has 60 days to review the deal.

The Congress can pass a motion of disapproval, but Obama can then veto that. An override of the veto requires two-thirds approval in both the House and Senate.

Many Iranians around the world celebrated the deal in the streets throughout Iran and around the world through social media, tweeting messages like “I love today,” and “I won’t forget today, this is out generation’s ‘moon landing’ moment.”

The deal signed between world powers and Iran on 14 July is set to lift crippling sanctions on Iran in exchange for heavy limitations on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

Questions have been raised about the fate of the deal should Congress reject it and override Obama's veto.