Kerry warns of consequences if Iran nuclear deal fails

Washington - US Secretary of State John Kerry is warning members of Congress that if they vote to disapprove the nuclear deal negotiated with Iran, Tehran will move forward toward an atomic bomb, international sanctions will crumble and the US will be left without with any of the access and inspections that are part of the deal.

Kerry told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that they face a choice between an agreement that will curb Iran's nuclear programme and impose strict inspections, or no deal at all.

If the US walked away from the agreement, Kerry said America's international partners would not follow.

He pledged that the US would continue to push back against Iran for its support of terrorism and human rights violations. But he said it would be harder to push back against a nuclear-armed Iran.

House Republicans oppose the deal and Representative Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the committee, suggested that the deal might just be pushing the "pause button" on Iran getting a nuclear weapon for 15 years.