DeLauro Statement on Trump Withholding Certification of the Iran Nuclear Agreement

WASHINGTON, DC (October 13, 2017) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement following President Trump's decision to withhold certification of the Iran Nuclear Agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"The Iran nuclear agreement was the outcome of deliberate, hard work by diplomats from around the world who are committed to denuclearization. President Trump has recklessly gambled with our national security by deciding not to certify Iran's compliance with this agreement, despite verified evidence to the contrary.

"By withholding certification for the agreement, the President is risking yet another nuclear crisis. Security specialists worldwide, including experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency, have affirmed that Iran is in compliance with the agreement and that maintaining the agreement is in everyone's best interest. The former head of Israel's national security service, Carmi Gillon, recently wrote that because of the deal, ‘the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon is more remote than it has been in decades.' And, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis testified that the agreement is in our security interests before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.

"Moving forward, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress to oppose efforts to unilaterally undermine the nuclear agreement. The alternative leads the U.S. and Iran down a dangerous path of further militarization."