After intense pressure from a wide spectrum of pro-Israel individuals and organizations including United with Israel, NY Senator Chuck Schumer announced that he will vote against the Iranian nuclear deal. He believes the deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and encourages its destructive activities in the region.
Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility. (AP/Majid Asgaripour)
Chuck Schumer, senior Democratic Senator from New York, announced that he will not be supporting the Iran nuclear deal. He decided that the agreement will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and would likely encourage Iran to engage in threatening behavior rather than to become more moderate.
“While we have come to different conclusions, I give tremendous credit to President Obama for his work on this issue,” Schumer wrote in a press release. However, the senator is not convinced that nuclear inspections would be carried out, let alone be effective.
“First, inspections are not “anywhere, anytime”; the 24-day delay before we can inspect is troubling…Even more troubling is the fact that the U.S. cannot demand inspections unilaterally. By requiring the majority of the 8-member Joint Commission, and assuming that China, Russia, and Iran will not cooperate, inspections would require the votes of all three European members of the P5+1 as well as the EU representative.”
Sen. Schumer believes that the agreement would also make it easier for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. “After fifteen years of relief from sanctions, Iran would be stronger financially and better able to advance a robust nuclear program. Even more importantly, the agreement would allow Iran, after ten to fifteen years, to be a nuclear threshold state with the blessing of the world community…If Iran’s true intent is to get a nuclear weapon, under this agreement, it must simply exercise patience.”
Lastly, the lawmaker is concerned that sanctions relief will give Iran the funds to step up its sponsorship of terrorism and its ballistic missile program.
“Under this agreement, Iran would receive at least $50 billion dollars in the near future and would undoubtedly use some of that money to redouble its efforts to create even more trouble in the Middle East, and, perhaps, beyond… the hardliners can use the freed-up funds to build an ICBM on their own as soon as sanctions are lifted (and then augment their ICBM capabilities in 8 years after the ban on importing ballistic weaponry is lifted), threatening the United States.”
Iranian soldiers conduct a missile test. (AP/Mehr News Agency, Majid Asgaripour)
New York’s other senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, has already said she would support the deal. In the House, ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) has announced that he will oppose it.
At the present time, it seems that Congress will reject the JCPoA whenever it votes between now and September 17. The question is whether there will be a two-thirds majority of nay votes to override a Presidential veto.
It’s essential to keep the pressure on Congress by contacting your elected officials and signing the Petition to Stop Iran.
By United with Israel Staff
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