Senator Harry Reid
Senator Harry Reidisrael news photo: office of Sen. Reid

The most likely scenario in the congressional fight over the nuclear deal with Iran is that Congress will pass a measure of disapproval against the deal, but will not be able to override a presidential veto of that bill, according to Washington website Politico.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged on Monday that it’s a “long shot” to stop the disapproval resolution from reaching President Barack Obama’s desk by filibustering it, but said he and other supporters of the deal are working toward that goal anyway. Supporters of the bill need only 60 senators to prevent a filibuster, and the estimate is that they will reach that goal. 

Reid announced on Sunday that he would back the nuclear agreement with Iran, after earlier hinting he needed to consult key Jewish backers first. On Monday, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced she would vote in favor of the deal too, breaking with her close ally, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who opposes the pact.

It is become increasingly obvious that with 28 Democrats backing the deal and 16 undecided, Obama's is nearing the level of support he needs to ensure his veto of September’s resolution of disapproval will not be overriden. Obama needs 34 Senate votes to sustain a veto and deny Republicans the two-thirds support they need for overriding the veto.

“I felt cautiously optimistic that we would have enough votes to sustain a presidential veto. That seems pretty clear to me,” Reid told reporters here at his National Clean Energy Summit. “As far as procedurally stopping this bill from moving forward, I am not giving up hope on that. I know it’s a long shot, but I hope it can be done.”

Both Reid and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Monday that at least a few of the undecided Democrats will support the deal. Durbin said in a Monday interview that once Reid decides to openly whip on legislation, “there’s a different level of commitment” toward achieving a result.

Obama on Monday thanked Reid for backing the Iran nuclear deal.

"Harry's leadership matters," Obama said during a speech in Reid's home state of Nevada. "It sends a message that Congress should support this historic diplomatic breakthrough and not block it over the objections of most of the world."