WASHINGTON — Just hours after announcing a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran on Tuesday, the White House launched a robust lobbying campaign to persuade skeptical Democrats in Congress to approve the deal.

Vice President Joe Biden started calling his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill and plans to head to the House on Wednesday to brief Democrats. President Obama and senior members of Obama’s national security team also are calling members of Congress to brief them on the contents of the agreement, which is well over 100 pages long.

After receiving a copy of the deal, lawmakers will have 60 days to read the fine print, vote yea or nay – or take no action.

Soon after it was announced, Democrats expressed skepticism. “I will only support it if this deal prevents every Iranian pathway to develop a nuclear weapons capability,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, joined many other Democrats who said verification provisions will determine whether they support it. “Without verification, this is a useless agreement,” Hoyer said.

Republicans were uniform in their opposition, with House Speaker John Boehner saying they would do what it can to undermine the deal.

“Congress will need to scrutinize this deal and answer whether implementing the agreement is worth dismantling our painstakingly constructed sanctions regime,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Iran continues to be the lead sponsor of terrorism in the world and relieving sanctions would make the Tehran regime flush with cash and could create a more dangerous threat to the United States.”

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