This morning, the 34th member of the Senate came out in support of the Iran deal – meaning that opponents of the deal will not be able to override a presidential veto of a resolution of disapproval of the deal that GOP leaders in Congress intend to pass in the coming days.
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:
“We applaud the 34 U.S. senators who have come out in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the landmark diplomatic agreement to roll back Iran’s nuclear program and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. We likewise applaud the more than 80 House members who have come out in support of the Iran agreement. By doing so, these lawmakers are showing leadership, clear-eyed vision, and courage. They are doing what is right for America and for Israel – supporting a historic diplomatic achievement that has the potential to prevent war, reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation, and, we hope, lead to greater security and stability in the future.
“We urge other Senators and Representatives – from both parties – to join their colleagues in supporting this critically important, historic agreement. By doing so they can together send an even more resounding message to the world that America’s elected officials prefer peaceful, diplomatic solutions to war – a message that, after decades mired in military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and years of saber-rattling toward Iran, is of an importance that cannot be overstated.
"We likewise urge our fellow members of America's pro-Israel community, as well as the Israeli government, to desist from their divisive and self-defeating efforts to kill the Iran nuclear agreement. These efforts are causing serious damage to the U.S.-Israel relationship and to Israel’s relations with America’s Jewish community. This was the wrong approach from the start, and it is wrong today. For the sake of both the U.S. and Israel, the goal should be to work together to determine responsible ways to strengthen and expand U.S.-Israel cooperation to ensure the success of the agreement and to address legitimate Israeli concerns about implications of the deal on its security.
"Finally, there are growing indications that opponents of the Iran agreement – having failed to prevent the diplomatic process that led to the JCPOA, and now having failed to block U.S. adherence to the JCPOA itself – are planning new legislation that could undermine implementation of the deal, if not kill the agreement before it has the chance to take root. While going forward, Congress should play an important oversight role with respect to implementation of the JCPOA, as well as with respect to other U.S. policy issues related to Iran. That includes Iran’s support for terrorism, the threat it may pose to Israel, and issues like human rights and democracy in Iran. Efforts to exploit these concerns to post-facto torpedo this JCPOA, however, must be rejected.”