House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthyReuters

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is visiting Israel, expressed his confidence in a news conference Thursday that the nuclear deal with Iran will not be approved by Congress.

“Knowing what I know about the agreement,” he said, “at the end of the day, it'll be disapproved.”

McCarthy rejected the argument that the lifting of sanctions on Iran is already a done deal because of the other countries involved. “If the agreement did not go through,” he argued, “you still have the American sanctions. Countries would be in a position then to have to make a decision, do they choose to deal with the Iranian economy or the size of the American economy? I would assume more would side on the American side of the economy.”

McCarthy accused President Obama of stifling debate on the deal. “The president had always said before not to criticize the deal cause the deal's not there,” he noted. “Now when the deal comes together, he says it's only the deal or war, which no one believes to be true.”

McCarthy is in Israel with 35 other Republicans. Members of the delegation met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Politico website reported that "close to 40" of 188 House Democrats have come out in favor of the deal since it was announced last month, and 16 of 44 senators have voiced their support.

“Most notably,” estimates the website, “not one of the 151 House Democrats who signed a May letter in support of the broad outlines of the agreement have announced opposition to the final product.” Obama needs at least 144 House Democrats to sustain the expected presidential veto of legislation against the deal.