Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump announced his decision to end U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The administration faced a May 12 deadline to renew certain sanctions relief for Iran under the JCPOA.
Senator Corker voted against the nuclear deal in 2015 and led the opposition in Congress.
He said, “The president made clear in January that unless an agreement was reached with our European partners to address the serious flaws in the Iran nuclear deal, he would end U.S. participation in the JCPOA.
“It is disappointing that the administration was unable to reach an agreement with our allies, specifically to remedy the ‘sunset’ provisions that allow Tehran to significantly ramp up its nuclear enrichment activity less than a decade from now. However, based on conversations I have had in recent days, it is my sense that the administration will move quickly to work toward a better deal.
"Moving forward, I will continue to work with the administration, my colleagues in Congress, and our foreign partners on a policy that actually meets our shared goal: preventing Iran from being able to produce a nuclear weapon.”
Senator Lamar Alexander said, “The president said he will now work with our allies to get a better agreement with Iran. I hope that happens - an agreement that makes our country and the world safer from the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran.”
Senator David Perdue (R-GA) said, “President Trump is right to take strong action against Iran. The goal should be that Iran never possess a nuclear weapon, period. Rather than punish Iran for its illicit behavior, President Obama’s weak agreement created a pathway for the rogue regime to develop a nuclear weapon due to its sunset clauses and inspection loopholes. In fact, this poorly-negotiated deal emboldened Iran to continue its ballistic missile program, support of terrorism, and aggression toward one of our closest allies, Israel.
"Earlier this year, I supported the President’s decision to decertify. It’s clearly time to hold Iran accountable for their dangerous behavior. President Trump is fully equipped to reengage with our allies across the globe, while putting America’s national security interests first.”
Congressman Chuck Fleischmann said, “The Iran Deal has always been a serious cause for concern. In fact, in 2015 I wrote an Op-Ed in opposition to the deal, and three years later I have not wavered in my stance. The previous administration argued that the Iran Deal was a better option than continued imposition of economic sanctions.
"However, it is now clear that this presumption is false. Iran has continued on its malicious, murderous mission to destabilize the Middle East and act as a state sponsor of terrorism all the while advancing its ballistic missile program. I stand behind President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal and await further details as we enter the implementation period, details which I hope take into account the concerns of our international allies and aid in the creation of an agreement to advance global security.”
Congressman Scott DesJarlais released a statement in support of President Trump’s action.
He said, “The Iranian nuclear deal was a bad deal for the United States, which is why the Obama Administration bypassed the American people’s representatives in Congress to pursue it, never a formal treaty under our Constitution. In addition to clear constitutional problems the deal created, it released billions of dollars the Islamic regime is spending to fund its military, terrorism, and human catastrophes in Syria and also Iran, where democratic protestors experience daily political persecution and violence.
"Far from making the world a safer place, the agreement increased Iranian aggression in the region, sparked a nuclear arms race there, and sent a message of appeasement to threats such as North Korea.“Not only has Iran already violated the terms of Barack Obama’s weak agreement, the regime has flagrantly violated U.N. resolutions restricting its ballistic missile tests and taken more American hostages, while others remained imprisoned. President Trump rightfully withdrew from the JCPOA, and we will work together to hold Iran to account for its nuclear program, terrorism and attacks on our allies.”