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Beatty Statement on the Iran Nuclear Agreement

September 10, 2015

Beatty Statement on the Iran Nuclear Agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) released the following statement in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached with Iran:

In the nearly two months since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was announced on July 14, 2015, I have diligently read and reviewed the agreement in unclassified and classified settings, had private conversations with President Obama, met with colleagues in Congress, top ranking Administration officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Kerry, U.S. Secretary of Energy Moniz, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Lew and members of the National Security Council. Further, I made a commitment to my constituents that I would listen to them and their concerns. To that end, during the August district work period I held public forums in my district and the JCPOA was at the forefront of each dialogue. The diversity of my Congressional district provided me the opportunity to hear a wide range of local and national opinions on both sides of the agreement.

This agreement, while not perfect, calls for Iran to halt its ability to enrich uranium or create nuclear weapons in the near-term. I believe the JCPOA provides the United States and our allies with the most realistic and effective course of action currently available to derail Iran's nuclear weapons program. The verification and inspection process established under the JCPOA will help the United States, Israel, and our European and Gulf allies ensure that Iran is adhering to the agreement while retaining the capacity to snapback sanctions if violations are identified. Equally important, JCPOA does not remove our capacity to retaliate against breaches of the agreement with any means necessary. In fact, in a USA Today op-ed on September 4, 2015, Secretary of Defense Carter explained in clear language that military options would remain on the table.

During my visit to Israel as a freshman Member of Congress, I met with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then-President Shimon Peres and members of the Israeli Knesset. I was able to hear their concerns and conflicts of present and past regarding the Middle East and the dangers of a nuclear armed Iran—thus my vote for the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013, which increased sanctions on Iran in an effort to convince the government officials of Iran to cease and abandon their development of nuclear weapons.

Additionally, I declared that I would arrive at my decision after diligently studying the deal and evaluating the agreement on the basis of facts – not trust – and constituent input. Helpful in guiding my decision was former Secretary of State Colin Powell's recently outlined support of the agreement, the absence of a better deal, and the recent partisan politics which made the agreement vote no longer solely about the JCPOA. Former Secretary Powell's analysis of JCPOA holds that the deal would "stop this highway race they [Iran] were going down." Like Powell, I do not trust Iran. However, as stated on page three of the JCPOA, "Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will [it] ever seek, develop, or acquire any nuclear weapons."

Finally, the analysis of the nation's best nuclear physicists and scientists have stated that without the advancement of the JCPOA, Iran may be able to produce operational nuclear weapons in months.

My final decision was not easy, but, ultimately, I decided to vote for the agreement and pledge to continue to support taking every necessary step to preclude Iran from becoming a nuclear threshold nation and from being able to promote and finance terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere. The security of our nation and our allies must remain paramount throughout the implementation of the JCPOA.

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