Jul 13, 2015

Greater Miami Jewish Federation and JCRC Statement: Iran Nuclear Agreement Must Withstand Close Congressional Scrutiny and Robust Public Debate

July 14, 2015

In the wake of this morning’s announcement of an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council urge close Congressional review, robust and reasoned public debate, and a renewed commitment to work together in a bipartisan fashion toward the shared goal of eliminating the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

We recognize the extraordinary efforts exerted by the United States administration and other members of the P5+1 – the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany – to address this critical challenge. At the same time, we continue to have deep concerns, given the threat posed by a nuclear-equipped Iran not only to Israel, but also to the United States and the entire global community; Iran’s admitted track record of violating U.N. resolutions on its nuclear development program; its thwarting international inspections and its continuing sponsorship of global terrorism. Our concerns are further intensified by the recent anti-Israel and anti-America protests throughout Iran, bolstered by the ongoing virulent rhetoric of its leaders.

As we underscored in our July 2, 2015 statement, we will urge Congress to approve the agreement only if it contains the following conditions:  

          · An inspection regime sufficient to ensure Iran’s full compliance with the terms of the
          agreement – anytime, anywhere.

          · Staggered, delayed sanctions relief and release of assets, only conditioned upon Iran’s
          fulfillment of its obligations under the deal and coupled with detailed sanction snapback
          provisions in case of Iranian violations.

          · Thorough, long-term investigation of Iran’s nuclear program to ensure that the regime
          isn’t developing nuclear materials for possible military applications.

          · The complete dismantling of Iran’s capability of producing nuclear weapons.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation remains committed to advocating for the pursuit of all available options to prevent Iran from developing deliverable nuclear weapons. During the upcoming 60-day Congressional review of today’s agreement, we will closely monitor developments as details of the accord are unveiled.