Mark Wilson, Getty Images, AFP | File photo of the US Capitol in Washington DC on March 11, 2014

As the US Senate launches a two-month review of the nuclear deal with Iran on Thursday, opponents are spending tens of millions of dollars to convince the American public and lawmakers that it was a mistake. France 24 spoke to some of the lobbyists.

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After hashing out the Iran nuclear deal, the Obama administration now has to sell it to the US Congress.

Key architects of the plan, Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz and and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, will testify in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday to push the deal brokered on July 14 between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council the US, the UK, Russia, France and China plus Germany.

The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution approving the agreement on Monday.

But in the US, the debate rages on.

FRANCE 24 spoke to many opponents of the deal, including former vice-presidential candidate, Joe Lieberman.

“I’m urging these folks to study the agreement and, if they agree with my opposition to it, to call their Member of Congress. Ultimately, Congress will have the last word,” he said.

There are also pro-deal lobbyists on Capitol Hill, but they have significantly fewer resources than their opponents, as Stephen Miles, the advocacy director at lobbying group Win Without War told FRANCE 24.

“AIPAC, the American-Israeli Public Affairs council, is going to spend upwards of 20 million dollars trying to kill this deal. On our side, we have significant resources to compete, but the reality is that we know that the other side is going to try and win this by spending more money,” he said.

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