Murphy Calls for a Swift Return to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran on U.S. Senate Floor

Press Release

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, on Tuesday took to the U.S. Senate floor to make the case for why the Biden administration needs to get back into a nuclear agreement with Iran. Murphy laid out the consequences of President Trump's failed Iran policy after pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and he argued returning to the deal would make the world safer but time is of the essence.

Murphy stated: "Mr. President, the world was safer when the JCPOA… was in place. The world became a much less safe place when President Trump tore up that agreement against the advice of his Secretary of State, his Secretary of Defense."

"We have an opportunity right now to reconstruct that agreement or the most important elements of it, so that Iran once again is as far as possible from being able to obtain a nuclear weapon. That would make the region safer, that would make the United States safer, but time is of the essence," Murphy continued.

Calling on the Biden administration to make tough, but smart concessions in order to get back into a nuclear agreement, Murphy said: "Now, it's not going to be easy because there are elements of Iran's progress in nuclear research that are difficult, if not impossible, to undo, given how much new research, how many advanced centrifuges they have built since President Trump left the agreement…But it is important for the Biden administration to see that many of the sanctions that Trump put in place during that period of time, may have sounded good, but had no impact on Iranian behavior. I would put on that list the sanctioning of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the sanctioning of the Supreme Leader. These aren't good people, but those sanctions didn't change Iran's behavior for the better. In fact, during that period of time, their behavior got worse. Their nuclear research program became more advanced, and so if releasing those designations or sanctions are required in order to make the world safer, and get Iran back into the nuclear box, then I hope the administration will give serious consideration."

Murphy concluded: "Time is of the essence. President Biden promised to restart diplomacy with Iran to make the world a safer place by getting back into a nuclear agreement. This is the moment to do it. And I would urge the administration to take all of the smart steps necessary in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon making the region and the world a safer place."

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