Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) authored an Op-Ed in the New York Daily News following President Trump’s announcement that he will decertify to Congress Iran’s compliance with the Iran nuclear agreement, otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
A preview of the Op-Ed can be found below, with the full version published by the New York Daily News available here:
“If President Trump has problems with Iran’s nefarious and illicit non-nuclear activities, his Administration has so far done little to use the authority given to him by Congress to counter Iran’s actions or to enforce consequences for Iran’s bad behavior.
“When I voted in support of the agreement, I expressed grave concerns with items not covered under the JCPOA. I raised these concerns directly with President Obama, and was personally guaranteed that his Administration would fully pursue implementation and enforcement of non-nuclear sanctions against Iranian persons and entities engaged in such actions. For all of President Trump’s usual bravado, however, Iran’s regional influence continues to expand and its illegal activities continue unabated, and it is not entirely clear what the President—who took office in January—is doing about it.
“Furthermore, the decision to decertify is counterproductive to any attempt to extend the JCPOA’s 10-15 year sunsets on certain nuclear restrictions because decertification will lead to the loss of our international partners and to the loss of our credibility to follow through on our agreements, and will leave no means short of military intervention to compel the Iranians back to the table. President Trump’s decision to decertify and threatened withdrawal is a win for Tehran in that they keep all the financial and diplomatic benefits of the deal while the United States is on the outside looking in – unable to strictly monitor and enforce JCPOA restrictions and without partners to exert additional pressure on Iran.
“On both nuclear and non-nuclear fronts, decertification puts us in a worse position, and does nothing to address the serious issues that do exist. Iran is and remains a grave threat to security in the region, to the security of our allies, and to U.S. strategic interests. Yet this Administration continues its made-for-TV political games. That is what we get with a President who isn’t serious, who doesn’t take these issues seriously, and who shows little reason for others to take him seriously aside from threatened mutually assured destruction. That is very serious.”