APN opposes Iran bill, despite ‘improvements’

Americans for Peace Now welcomed what it said were improvements to an Iran sanctions bill, but still opposed the proposed law.

“Positive changes to the bill, which APN had called for, include the addition of significant waiver authorities for the President throughout the bill, even if in many cases that authority is highly circumscribed,” the group said. “These waivers are critical to giving the President at least the minimally necessary flexibility in his conduct of U.S. foreign policy, in particular vis-a-vis the critical challenge posed by Iran.”

APN is the only major Jewish group that opposes the enhanced sanctions, which target third-party entities that deal with Iran’s energy and banking sectors in a bid to persuade its regime to make transparent its nuclear activities.

“APN’s core concern about this bill remains unchanged: imposing sanctions the goal of which is to ‘cripple’ the civilian economy and inflict misery on the population—in the hopes that this population will rise up against its government—is a flawed and in all likelihood counterproductive approach,” the statement said.