FCNL condemns the Trump administration’s decertification on the Iran deal and the Cotton-Corker legislation that risks sabotaging this historic agreement. The Quaker lobby, which has been a leading voice advocating for diplomacy with Iran in Washington, calls on Congress to reject Trump’s dangerous bid to extort our negotiating partners to submit to ultimatums on the deal which risk its collapse and putting the United States on a path towards full-fledged war with Iran.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
kate@fcnl.org
202-547-6000
Kate, FCNL’s Legislative Director for Middle East Policy, made the following statement:
“Today, President Trump laid out a plan that begins with refusing to certify to Congress on the Iran deal, and could end in a full-fledged, catastrophic war with Iran that would risk the lives of millions. Trump is yet again going rogue by rejecting the advice of top military and national security experts, including Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who recently testified to Congress that remaining in the Iran deal advances U.S. national security interests.
As the U.S. intelligence community and eight consecutive reports from the International Atomic Energy have verified, Tehran has fully complied with the nuclear accord. By refusing to certify the Iran deal to Congress, the Trump administration is playing with fire, and it’s up to Congress to drown out the fire before the Middle East is engulfed in yet another catastrophic war.
Trump’s call on Congress not to immediately withdraw from the Iran nuclear accord but instead call for saber-rattling and coercive diplomacy to secure a ‘better deal’ should fool no one. Unilaterally imposing ultimatums on Iran and our allies—whether by presidential fiat or through the Cotton-Corker legislation—won’t ‘fix’ the deal, and would most likely lead to its collapse. Make no mistake: the deal is working to rein in Iran’s nuclear program. For the United States to go back on its word and extort our negotiating partners risks the wholesale destruction of one of the greatest diplomatic achievements of the nuclear age.
FCNL’s network has been mobilizing for diplomacy with Iran for more than a decade, and we will ensure that every member of Congress is urged to speak out against this dangerous path toward war in the crucial weeks and months ahead. We at FCNL will work with other faith groups, the broader peace and security community, and pro-diplomacy constituents around the country to press Congress to block Trump’s agenda for war.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a nonpartisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people of many different faiths from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government.