Thousands of protesters pack into Times Square to demand that Congress reject agreement

Top Republicans vowed on Wednesday to do their utmost to scrap US President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran as the biggest pro-Israel lobby geared up for an all-out campaign to pressure wary lawmakers into rejecting the agreement.

A bigger push against last week's historic accord in Vienna was being met with a counteroffensive by senior Obama administration officials, who have spent hours on in-person and telephone briefings with members of Congress.