The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation hopes that the agreement announced today [July 14] in Vienna will resolve the issue of the Iranian nuclear threat, but we are concerned that this deal may be insufficient.
While we commend President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the other members of the P5 1 (the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany) for their tireless efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution, we have good reason to be concerned that today’s agreement may not be good enough.
Reports in recent weeks, including statements by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, suggest that Iran would not compromise on key conditions that were identified by U.S. officials early on in the negotiation process as "red lines" for any acceptable agreement including: sanctions relief that includes provisions for a ‘snap-back’ in the event of Iranian violations of the agreement; an enduring agreement that does not sunset in 10 or 15 years leaving the world no safer and possibly at greater risk than today; and, a rigorous system of effective inspections by the IAEA, including at military sites.
After years of assurances that these negotiations would not curtail restrictions on Iran’s ability to support terrorist forces in the region, recent reports suggest that in the end, concessions may have been made to end restrictions on Iranian access to arms shipments.
We need no reminder that Iran’s regime does not share the interests and values of the U.S. and our allies. Iran has continually violated the human rights of its people, funded terrorist organizations, threatened annihilation of Israel, worked to destabilize neighboring countries in the region, supported Holocaust denial and created a covert nuclear weapons program.
While we remain hopeful that today’s agreement will end the nuclear threat, history – and current threats by the Iranian regime – dictate that we remain concerned and diligent.
We welcome debate on the merits of the agreement and close scrutiny by Congress. The 60-day Congressional review window opens a critical period to examine the agreement and ensure that it has the rigorous inspection and compliance components that are necessary.
We recognize that the P5 1 agreement with Iran is the beginning of a process that will require continued vigilance. Let us all work to make sure our government does all it can to monitor and enforce compliance.
Elana Kahn-Oren, JCRC Director
Michael Pollack, JCRC Chair
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