J Street applauds a new letter in which 150 House Democrats have written to President-elect Biden to express their support for swiftly taking the necessary steps to restore constraints on Iran’s nuclear program and return both Iran and the US to compliance with the JCPOA agreement as a starting point for future diplomacy to address Iran’s other destabilizing activities in the region.
The letter is led by Representatives David E. Price, Barbara Lee, Jan Schakowsky, Gregory Meeks, Joaquin Castro, Abigail D. Spanberger and Brad Sherman. Its signers represent a large and impressive cross-section of the House Democratic caucus, making clear that leaders across the party are fully committed to diplomacy and to President-elect Biden’s stated plan to pursue urgent US re-entry to the JCPOA upon taking office.
The members of Congress write that “We know preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon through diplomacy will be a top priority of your administration, and we strongly believe that the JCPOA provides a critical framework to achieve this goal effectively. We strongly endorse your call for Iran to return to strict compliance with the nuclear deal, the United States to rejoin the agreement and subsequent follow-on negotiations. We understand that returning to the agreement will require the selective lifting of some sanctions and rigorous implementation to verifiably ensure Iranian compliance.”
By securing over 146 signers, the letter also makes clear that House Democrats have the votes needed to prevent the enactment of any legislation designed to obstruct President-elect Biden from returning the United States to the JCPOA. These members have clearly signaled that they stand ready to support vigorous diplomacy from the incoming administration in order to rebuild American credibility, de-escalate regional tensions and strengthen the security of the US and our allies while avoiding another disastrous war of choice in the Middle East.
In their support for urgent JCPOA re-entry, both President-elect Biden and his congressional allies have the strong support of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement and the vast majority of American Jews. A 2020 Election Night poll commissioned by J Street found that an overwhelming 74% of Jewish voters nationwide support re-entering the agreement.