Sen. Jeff Flake said he has hasn't decided whether to support the nuclear deal with Iran, keeping him in play as possibly the only Senate Republican who could buck his party and vote in favor of the agreement negotiated by President Obama and his team.

Obama is working hard to keep Democrats in line on the deal, and would welcome any Republican willing to cross over to support the deal that most Republicans vigorously oppose. But Flake indicated his final decision is still weeks away.

Flake told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday he won't make up his mind until at least after the Senate holds hearings on the deal, which would lift sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on the Islamic nation's nuclear program.

"I'm waiting for hearings, waiting for briefings," Flake told the Examiner. Flake said he's also sent a list of questions to the State Department.

"We are looking at the inspection regime, we are looking at timing of sanctions relief and remedies for noncompliance," Flake said.

Flake said he was working to compare the good and bad in the agreement, and indicated he's sympathetic to Obama's argument that the failure of the current deal in Congress could lead to worse alternatives.

"You also have to judge this not against the ideal, but against the alternative and I fully recognize that," said Flake, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations panel. "But also you have to look at the broader framework in the region, where we go from here. There are a lot of things to look at."

Flake's decision would become particularly important if the Senate votes ahead of the House on the Iran agreement, which could influence the outcome in the House.

Republicans say they plan to vote against the agreement and could succeed in passing a resolution of disapproval with majorities in both chambers.

Obama has the right to veto that resolution, and so far, opponents of the Iran deal seem likely to fall short of enough votes to override a presidential veto of their disapproval.