Washington, D.C. – NIAC Action Executive Director Jamal Abdi released the following statement after more than 180 Democrats in the House, the vast majority of the caucus, warned Trump not to withhold certification of the nuclear deal absent concrete evidence of a material breach:
“The Price-Deutch letter is yet another victory in the battle to save the Iran nuclear deal. The letter was even signed by lawmakers who voted against the deal but who now understand its importance. We strongly encouraged lawmakers to take this action and make clear to Trump that he must not exploit the upcoming certification deadline to threaten the nuclear deal.
“Unfortunately, the Trump Administration appears dead set on destroying this deal. According to reports, Trump plans to decertify the deal but may tell Congress not to snap back the sanctions in order to avoid a blatant unilateral violation of the deal. Instead, the Trump Administration would begin taking a series of escalatory moves – in the hopes that Iran backs out of the deal. These may be interpreted as a U.S. violation of the agreement since it will be coupled with Trump’s ‘decertification’ and will be messaged as aiming to convince Iran to renegotiate the agreement.
“The bottom line is that these steps don’t just put the deal in jeopardy, they could significantly raise the risk of confrontation. A tit-for-tat could quickly escalate into full blown military confrontation. And with U.S. standing having been significantly weakened with its international partners in Europe and elsewhere given Trump’s illogical attacks on the agreement and decertification of the deal, America may find itself seriously isolated in taking such a disastrous course.
“It is incumbent on Congress and U.S. partners to warn the Trump Administration against taking escalatory actions aimed at destroying the deal or setting the stage for a new disastrous war of choice in the Middle East. The Price-Deutch letter is a step in the right direction, but Congress must press for diplomatic solutions and against moves that risk violating the deal or sparking a war.”
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