J Street released the following statement regarding the Garrett – Ros-Lehtinen letter on Iran currently circulating in the House, which criticizes the United States’ response to Iran’s nuclear program:
There is no question that the President will impose additional sanctions authorized by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act given Iran’s unacceptable current course. J Street supports such implementation just as it supported Congressional passage of the act.
What J Street will not support is the gross rewriting of history attempted in this letter regarding the administration’s successful efforts to unite the international community behind new multilateral sanctions through tireless diplomacy. President Obama and his administration achieved what the right wing deemed impossible-and apparently still hopes to deny: the toughest UN Security Council Sanctions on Iran to date. Without this success, Iran would not be at odds with its traditional trading partners, and therefore easily able to circumvent unilateral U.S. sanctions.
Further, it is shocking that any Member of Congress would declare themselves “troubled” by the administration’s commitment to seeking a diplomatic solution to this crisis. Surely no true friend of Israel would prefer a military confrontation with Iran that-if its President Ahmadinejad’s outrageous threats are to be taken seriously- could trigger horrific attacks on Israel’s people by Iranian rockets and the forces of its Hezbollah and Hamas proxies.
This letter represents a new low in its disregard of fact and misunderstanding of the security interests of our ally Israel. We strongly urge Members of Congress not to sign this uninformed and dangerous letter.