Los Angeles, California: The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN), the leading Israeli-American advocacy organization in the United States, supports bipartisan concerns from Congress surrounding recent publicly discussed changes to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as “the Iran Deal.” 

Today, a group of 21 bipartisan members of the United States House of Representatives wrote to President Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin expressing several concerns regarding the new JCPOA, including:

• the potential lifting of the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of the sanctions placed on members of the office of the Supreme Leader,
• how negotiators are calculating the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear breakout time,
• the role of the Russian Federation and President Vladimir Putin in assessing parties’ compliance to the deal and subsequently providing sanctions relief,
• what recourse the U.S. will have should Iran violate the agreement after the snapback mechanism in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 expires in 2025.
• and more, please see the House letter.

We also recognize and thank a group of 32 United States Senate Republicans, led by Senator Ted Cruz, who expressed similar concerns in a letter sent to the Administration last month February 2022, additionally stating: “As a threshold matter, we reiterate our view that any agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program is of such gravity for U.S. national security that by definition it is a treaty requiring Senate advice and consent.” Please see the Senate letter.

Crucially, both letters expressed concern about the process by which Congress should be able to evaluate and approve any future Iran Deal, with members of the House asking, “Will an agreement be presented to Congress pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA)?”

And in their letter to the Administration, members of the Senate stated: “the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (“INARA”, 42 USC § 2160e) mandates that your administration submit to Congress for evaluation, within 5 days after it is reached, any agreement related to the nuclear program with Iran, as well as all related documents and side deals. The submission of such materials then triggers a statutorily-defined review process, and includes the possibility of Congress blocking implementation of the agreement.”

ICAN urges the Biden Administration to take Congressional concerns seriously while negotiating any changes to the JCPOA, strongly urges full statutory compliance with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, and insists that Congress is given proper oversight in compliance with any and all Constitutional and federal statutory requirements.

The original JCPOA was agreed to in great haste with serious flaws. If and when a new deal with Iran is drafted, ICAN’s Israeli-American community will mobilize and engage with Members of Congress to ensure our representatives hear our voice, understand our concerns, and that mistakes of the past are not repeated.

The Israeli-American Civic Action Network is dedicated to empowering Israeli immigrants and American allies to create change for a better America, a more secure Israel, and a stronger U.S. – Israel alliance through advocacy education and civic action. Learn more at IsraelUSA.org.