Appearing Thursday on the MSNBC show “All In with Chris Hayes,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said the agreement between Iran and the U.S. and five other countries regarding nuclear development is a good one.

The Democrat from Hawaii said many critics of the agreement, including a lot of Republicans, rejected the deal before they had even read it or been briefed on the matter.

Schatz, who said he has read the agreement, acknowledged that he had been lobbied furiously from people on both sides of the debate. But for him the Iran deal was ultimately an “issue of conscience,” not a political cause.

He called Chuck Schumer, the senator from New York who is the most prominent Democrat opposing the deal, a “very good friend” who he expects will be his party’s leader in the next Congress.

Asked how he felt about being grouped with “high-profile Jewish politicians,” Schatz said it was not unreasonable to be singled out.

He made the analogy of a Japanese-American senator receiving extra attention on matters involving Japan, for example, or a Latino senator when an issue concerned the Hispanic community.

Schatz pointed out that Jewish-American leaders are split on the Iran deal, as is the American public.

On Monday, Schatz became the first (and so far, only) member of Hawaii’s delegation to take a position on the Iran agreement.

The Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to formally debate and vote on the agreement next month.