Former Secretary of State Colin Powell came forward to say he supports the Iran deal forged at President Obama's insistence – that from his perspective, the pact looks "pretty good," he said.
What's next? Find out in "Showdown with Nuclear Iran."
Powell is a retired general who headed up the State Department under President George W. Bush's administration. He said during a "Meet the Press" segment on NBC he's studied the deal in-depth, listened to both opposing and supporting sides and concluded: It passes his muster.
"My judgment after balancing those two sets of information is that we're leaving open a lane for Iran to create a nuclear weapon in 10 to 15 years," Powell said, the Hill reported. "The reality is that they have been on a super highway for the last 10 years to create a nuclear weapon ... with no speed limit."
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Obama was quick to note the high-level support.
In a tweet, he wrote: "Thank you, Colin, for putting your experience and expertise behind this important initiative for our country."
Powell's endorsement comes on the heels of 200-plus former admirals and generals penning a letter to House and Senate leadership, requesting they deny the deal and calling it dangerous to America.
It also comes as Obama won the necessary number of votes on Capitol Hill to ensure the deal won't be blocked in looming votes, expected to take place when lawmakers come back to Congress this week.