“Instead of leading an international negotiation on the agreement himself, however, the President’s statement making threats and dictating final terms of potential negotiations with Congress and Europe makes it more challenging to achieve this objective.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, released the following statement Friday after the White House announced President Trump would continue waiving sanctions against Iran as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal, and also detailed a number of demands of Congress:
“Today, the President announced he will continue U.S. commitments under the Joint-Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, which is in the national security interest of the United States.
“I remain open to discussing legislative options that would not violate the JCPOA and that have the support of our European partners. Congress, the President, and our European partners must remain open to constructive discussions on how to counter the Iranian threat without violating the JCPOA.
“Instead of leading an international negotiation on the agreement himself, however, the President’s statement making threats and dictating final terms of potential negotiations with Congress and Europe makes it more challenging to achieve this objective.”
“We need to keep pressure on the Iranian government, which tramples on the rights of the Iranian people, foments instability and terrorism across the region, violates the UN arms embargo, and tests ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Unilateral U.S. actions that tear down the JCPOA undermine the partnerships we need to implement a holistic counter-Iran strategy and effectively address these deeply destabilizing activities.”
###