October 12, 2017

Duckworth Statement on Trump’s Iran Announcement

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following President Trump's announcement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear agreement, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement:

"While the Iran nuclear agreement was far from perfect, it has been successful in halting Iran's dangerous development of nuclear weapons. President Trump's rash and reckless announcement today threatens to destroy years of progress and weakens key pillars of our global non-proliferation efforts."

"That is why I agree with recent testimony from the Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, who, when asked whether he believed remaining in the JCPOA was in our national security interests, responded 'Yes, I do' and absent any evidence that they are violating the JCPOA, 'the President should consider staying with it.' Our senior most military officer, General Dunford, similarly testified that Iran 'is not in material breach' of the agreement and that the agreement had in fact 'delayed the development of a nuclear capability by Iran.' Unfortunately, on this critical matter of national security, it seems that the President has decided to listen to the advice of Breitbart news personalities instead of his own cabinet members and senior military leaders."

"Unfortunately, today's decision will isolate us from our allies, empower our enemies and leave the U.S. with little leverage on the world stage. The Trump administration also undermined our country's ability to use diplomacy to negotiate future agreements, which is particularly worrisome as we attempt to find a diplomatic path forward on the North Korean crisis. Moving forward, it is up to Congress to be responsible and pick up the pieces of the President's mess."