Tehran, Aug 16, IRNA � A US senator from Minnesota has recently said he will support the nuclear deal reached between Iran and the world big powers as it is �a significant step forward for our national security.�

Al Franken made the remarks in a commentary appeared on CNN.

He said rejecting the nuclear deal -- because of clearly unrealistic expectations -- would be a terrible mistake.

An excerpt of Franken�s remarks follows:

After careful review, I have decided that I will vote in support of the agreement the United States and our international partners reached with Iran last month.

It's not a conclusion I came to lightly. Since the deal was announced, I've consulted with nuclear and sanctions experts inside and outside government; Obama administration officials, including Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz; ambassadors from the other countries that negotiated alongside us; advocates for Israel on both sides of the issue; my constituents in Minnesota; and, of course, my colleagues in the Senate.

Many have expressed reservations about the deal, and I share some of those reservations. It isn't a perfect agreement.
But it is a strong one. This agreement is, in my opinion, the most effective, realistic way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon anytime in the next 15 years.

But there's no doubt in my mind that this deal represents a significant step forward for our national security.

�we do know that backing out of a deal we've agreed to will only embolden the hard-liners who insist that America cannot be trusted.

Indeed, while critics have eagerly pointed out what they see as flaws in the deal, I have heard no persuasive arguments that there is a better alternative. All the alternatives I have heard about run the gamut from unrealistic to horrifying.

For example, some say that, should the Senate reject this agreement, we would be in position to negotiate a 'better' one. But I've spoken to representatives of the five nations that helped broker the deal, and they agree that this simply wouldn't be the case.

In March, 47 of my Republican colleagues took the unprecedented step of sending a letter to Iran's leaders just as these sensitive negotiations were nearing an accord. It was a clear attempt to undermine American diplomacy -- and a signal that they would oppose any deal with Iran, no matter its terms.

It's not surprising that these critics now oppose the finished deal. But it is disappointing that they refuse to acknowledge, let alone take responsibility for, the dire consequences that would almost certainly result from killing it.

Diplomacy requires cooperation and compromise. You don't negotiate with your friends; you negotiate with your enemies.

For a long time, it has looked like our only options when it came to Iran would be allowing it to have a nuclear bomb or having to bomb the country ourselves. This agreement represents a chance to break out of that no-win scenario.

And to take the extraordinary step of rejecting it -- because of clearly unrealistic expectations, because of a hunger to send Americans into another war, or, worst of all, because of petty partisanship -- would be a terrible mistake.

By IRNA