Trump’s Decertification of JCPOA Would Be Baseless and Dangerous; Congress Must Maintain the Agreement

October 6, 2017

Jeremy Ben-Ami, President of J Street, issued the following statement in response to multiple reports that President Trump will tell Congress that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement is not in the national security interest of the United States:

“President Trump’s expected announcement to Congress that the JCPOA is not in the US national security interest is a baseless and dangerous act of bad faith. It will alienate the US from our key allies, undercut the credibility of American leadership and imperil our national security.

The facts are clear: The Iran nuclear agreement is working as intended. It has blocked every Iranian pathway to a nuclear weapon. The IAEA and the US security establishment, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have confirmed that Iran has complied with its obligations. By arguing that the agreement is not in the security interests of the United States, the president will directly contradict his own secretary of defense – who explicitly told the Senate last week that it was.

The president is acting based on his own personal political agenda, distaste for diplomacy and contempt for his predecessor. Congress should see this decision for what it is: a reckless mistake that makes it harder, not easier, to confront Iran and prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Lawmakers must not violate the nuclear agreement by reimposing nuclear sanctions – or take any other legislative action that would undermine the deal. Doing so would isolate the US, empower Iran and potentially put us on the path to another unnecessary and destructive war in the Middle East. Withdrawing from the JCPOA would also increase the threat to Israel – which is why the majority of the Israeli security establishment believes the agreement should be maintained.

Working alongside our many partners and allies, J Street will do everything that we can to urge Congress to uphold this vital agreement, and to defeat any efforts to undermine it. As we have since the JCPOA was first being negotiated, we will rally pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans across the country to stand up for effective, pragmatic diplomacy that makes us safer. We will fight back against the hawkish fringe that wants to drag us into new rounds of conflict and chaos.”

 

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