Twelve House Democrats said in a March 10 letter to President Joe Biden that they are “highly concerned” over what will reportedly be in a new Iran nuclear agreement.
The letter, which included signatures from Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Elaine Luria (D-VA) as well as nine Republicans, according to Jewish Insider (JI), stated they are particularly concerned that the new agreement would remove the terrorist designation from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as well as sanctions on members of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office. “Without adequately addressing Iran’s role as the world’s leading state-sponsor of terror––which was noticeably absent from the 2015 [nuclear deal]––and simultaneously providing billions of dollars in sanctions relief, the United States would be providing a clear path for Iranian proxies to continue fueling terrorism,” the letter stated.
The members of Congress added that “it is hard to envision supporting an agreement along the lines being publicly discussed” and proceeded to ask a series of questions, including what Iran’s estimated “breakout time” will be and what mechanisms will be in place should Iran violate the nuclear agreement. They also asked if Russia, which the Biden administration has been working with on the Iran deal negotiations, would “gain any economic benefit” from the new deal and if the deal would go to Congress for approval.
Key House Dems raise important questions about a new Iran deal that need answers & careful analysis. Will the deal meet the Biden Administration's stated goal: “We can't get into a situation where the U.S. does more than is required by the [JCPOA]…& Iran is going to do less” pic.twitter.com/tNJ0wgKqdl
— Democratic Majority for Israel (@DemMaj4Israel) March 10, 2022
Luria elaborated her concerns on Twitter. “I am deeply concerned that the latest iteration of the failed JCPOA being negotiated by the Biden Administration will empower Iran, endanger Israel, and continue to threaten global security,” she wrote. “If this deal goes through, we must ensure Israel has the means to respond to the resulting threats, and I will continue to stand against any deal that does not permanently prevent a nuclear-capable Iran and does not make the Middle East and the world safer.”
I am deeply concerned that the latest iteration of the failed JCPOA being negotiated by the Biden Administration will empower Iran, endanger Israel, and continue to threaten global security. https://t.co/KZHCs5ab9T
— Elaine Luria (@RepElaineLuria) March 10, 2022
If this deal goes through, we must ensure Israel has the means to respond to the resulting threats, and I will continue to stand against any deal that does not permanently prevent a nuclear-capable Iran and does not make the Middle East and the world safer.
— Elaine Luria (@RepElaineLuria) March 10, 2022
The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted, “The more Americans learn about how the Iran nuke deal is being negotiated by Russia and how the deal does virtually nothing but empowering Iran and endanger US allies the more opposition is growing.”
The more Americans learn about how the Iran nuke deal is being negotiated by Russia and how the deal does virtually nothing but empowering Iran and endanger US allies the more opposition is growing. https://t.co/hpxqGo83aL
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) March 11, 2022
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who organized a March 9 press conference of Republican senators criticizing the Biden administration’s negotiations with Russia and Iran over the deal, told JI: “I don’t believe the ayatollah will ever stop pushing for nuclear weapons. I believe we should continue to ratchet sanctions up until the Iranian people rise up and achieve new leadership.”
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