Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice on nuclear non-proliferation, released the following statement in response to the announcement that the Trump Administration will decertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement:

“President Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran Deal represents an all-time high in recklessness and stupidity. Every week the president’s Twitter tantrums put the world on edge. Decertifying the Iran Deal will add to this volatility by sending a chilling message across the globe that the United States is abandoning our leadership and our commitments on nuclear non-proliferation.

“With clear consensus by experts that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action remains the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, President Trump’s failure to certify the agreement is dangerous and alarming. Ehud Barak, the former prime minister and defense minister of Israel and a strong critic of Iran, is among a growing group of world leaders who said it would be a mistake for President Trump to decertify the deal.

“We must be clear: The Iran Deal is working and making us safer. It set up the toughest international monitoring regime ever enacted. And thanks to the agreement, all of Iran’s potential pathways to obtaining nuclear weapons remain blocked. Walking away from the agreement would cripple America’s credibility on the world stage and endanger any prospects for negotiating with North Korea or other countries. And let me also be perfectly clear, despite what President Trump and Secretary Tillerson appear to assert, Congress cannot unilaterally change the terms of the JCPOA.

“President Trump decertifying the Iran Deal, as well as adding other poorly-conceived unilateral sanctions and conditions against Iran, would put America’s national security at risk and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran back on the table. Americans deserve better from their leaders. I urge President Trump to reconsider this dangerous move and put the safety of the American people first by reversing this terrible decision.”

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