Factbox: 30 U.S. senators now support Iran nuclear deal

(Reuters) - Another U.S. Democratic senator said on Friday he would support the U.S.-led nuclear agreement with Iran, moving President Barack Obama a step closer to having sufficient backing to ensure the deal stands.

Tom Carper backed the deal negotiated by the United States and other world powers that would put new limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for eased economic sanctions.

Obama is trying to muster 34 votes in the Senate to ensure lawmakers cannot kill the deal. Thirty senators, all Democrats and independents who vote with Democrats, have now said they will support it.

Congress must vote on the deal by Sept. 17. The following describes how votes are likely to play out:

* When Congress returns on Sept. 8 from its August recess,debate will begin on a Republican-sponsored "resolution ofdisapproval" against the deal * In the Senate, Republicans must gather 60 votes to movethe resolution forward under Senate procedural rules. If theycan, they will then need a simple majority of 51 votes in thechamber to approve the resolution. It would pass, becauseRepublicans control a majority of Senate seats and most havealready come out against the agreement. * There is no similar procedural barrier in the House. Theresolution is expected to easily win approval there. Republicanshold 246 seats in the 435-seat House. * If both chambers approve the resolution, it would go toObama's desk for review. He has vowed to veto it. * If he does so, opponents would then try to override theveto. This would take a two-thirds majority vote in eachchamber. The Senate has 100 members; the House, 434, plus onevacant seat. * Democrats could block an override in the Senate with 34votes. So far, 30 senators have committed to voting in favor ofthe deal; 31 have said they will oppose it. * In the House, if Republicans voted unanimously against thedeal, they would need to get at least 44 Democrats to vote withthem to override a veto. * The Iran deal is not a treaty, so it does not need thetwo-thirds vote in the Senate to be ratified. The "resolution ofdisapproval" mechanism was included in a law Obama signed in Maygiving Congress the right to weigh in on the nuclear deal withIran. * If Congress were to pass a resolution of disapproval andoverride a veto, Obama would be barred from waiving most of theU.S. sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program.Proponents of the agreement say this would kill the deal.

(Reporting by Alex Wilts, Susan Cornwell and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Lisa Shumaker and Andrew Hay)

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