The proceedings in the House and the Senate this week will have a huge impact on Iran�s nuclear programme � and the next president�s freedom to navigate it

With more than 40 Democrats lined up to support Barack Obama over the Iran nuclear deal, the outcome of a fiery Senate debate on the matter may look a foregone conclusion, but the manner in which it is resolved could yet have important bearing on the president�s ability to make the deal stick.

What looks like an arcane row between Republicans and Democrats over process is instead a battle over how much political responsibility for the deal its supporters are prepared to assume and, perhaps, whether a future Republican White House would dare to seek to unpick it.

It is a big day for the Senate. Majority leader Mitch McConnell has even requested that all 100 members be physically present in the chamber during the debate in order to hear what everyone has to say.

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This article was written by Dan Roberts for The Guardian on Sep. 9, 2015. Dan Roberts is the Guardian's Washington Bureau chief, covering politics and US national affairs.