This week, on the first anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Americans for Peace Now (APN) celebrated the achievement of this historic deal – a deal that has already proven itself by radically rolling back and limiting Iran’s nuclear program. 

APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:

“We reiterate today our thanks and congratulations to President Obama and his P5+1 partners – France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China – on this historic agreement and its ongoing implementation. A year on, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has proven itself a clear win for the American people, for U.S. leadership, for U.S. national security and, we believe, for Israel. Already this agreement has dramatically and verifiably rolled back Iran’s nuclear program, stringently limited Iran’s ongoing and future nuclear activities, and taken off the table what pre-JCPOA was the looming threat of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon in the foreseeable future.  The implementation of the JCPOA also ensures that, where in the past the U.S. and international community had very limited means to monitor Iran’s activities, today, should Iran decide to break the terms of the deal and try to ‘sneak out’ to a nuclear weapon, there is a far greater chance such an effort would be detected and the U.S. and its allies would be in a far stronger position to respond effectively.

“It is precisely for these reasons that APN and our supporters across the U.S. for years worked in support of a diplomatic solution to the challenge posed by Iran's nuclear program. The achievement and implementation of the JCPOA demonstrates that when there is resolute political will, diplomacy can work – and can walk the world back from the brink of war. As we have noted previously, the JCPOA is a deal grounded not on trust and goodwill but on far-reaching limitations on Iranian activities and intrusive verification mechanisms.  Implementation of this agreement – key elements of which will continue to be in force for decades – is today making Israel, the region and the world more secure.

“The JCPOA represents an extraordinary success for diplomacy – a success achieved despite enormous obstacles, including those deliberately erected by naysayers and war-mongers in Iran, the U.S., and Israel. Unsurprisingly, naysayers, regime-change advocates, and war-mongers continue to try to undermine the agreement, despite its clear dividends for U.S. and Israeli interests. While serious issues of concern related to Iran are not addressed by the JCPOA, including Iran’s role in supporting terrorism in the region and its human rights abuses at home, efforts to exploit these concerns to torpedo the JCPOA post-facto must not be allowed to succeed.”

Go HERE for APN's resource page that includes links to statements from President Obama and others, and recommended analyses and news commentary on the one-year anniversary.