WASHINGTON, DC – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul and Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) have sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary Antony Blinken, urging the administration to use its leverage to obtain a better, comprehensive deal with Iran, including IAEA access to all nuclear sites.
The letter also highlights provisions of the JCPOA that the lawmakers think must be improved upon, as well as Iran’s recent violations of that deal. The bipartisan letter included a total of 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
“We believe the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the P5+1 and Iran did not sufficiently ensure Iran could never obtain a nuclear weapon,” the lawmakers wrote. “In return for temporary limits on aspects of Iran’s nuclear program, this agreement allowed Iran access to billions of dollars in sanctions relief which it has continued to use to advance its ballistic missile program and expand its support for terrorism. We urge you to work with our allies and consult with Congress in a bipartisan and bicameral fashion to outline a better, comprehensive deal with Iran that would block its path to a nuclear weapon and blunt its global malign activities.”
The lawmakers continued, “Going forward, the administration should make use of existing leverage to sharpen the choices available to Tehran. The world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism must be held accountable for its nuclear enrichment and undermining regional peace and stability.”
In addition to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), the letter was also signed by: Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Rep. J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R- PA), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN), Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), and Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA).
