180 House Dems ask Trump to certify Iran nuclear deal

180 House Dems ask Trump to certify Iran nuclear deal
Thu Oct 5, 2017 10:28:47

At least 180 members of the US Congress have called on President Donald Trump to endorse the Iran nuclear deal, saying an American withdrawal from the pact would be against the interests of the United States and its allies.

PressTV-- Led by Florida Representative Ted Deutch and North Carolina Representative David Price, about 180 House Democrats signed a letter to Trump on Wednesday urging him to recertify the nuclear deal, unless he can present "credible evidence of a material breach" of it by the Iranians.

The lawmakers wrote there has been no tangible evidence that Iran has violated any elements of the nuclear pact, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which puts some restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

The letter comes just days before Trump has to report to Congress whether or not Iran is complying with the nuclear deal. If he argues that Iran is not in compliance, that could cause an American withdrawal from the international pact.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently reported that Iran is complying with the agreement.

In their letter to Trump, the lawmakers said that "absent credible and accurate information confirming a material breach, we are concerned that withholding certification of Iran's compliance or walking away from the [nuclear deal] would harm our alliances, embolden Iran, and threaten US national security."

They added that so far, no such evidence has been presented to Congress. They ended their letter by asking Trump to implement "vigorous enforcement" of the nuclear deal. 

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Trump must consider remaining a party to the nuclear deal because the international accord serves US interests.

Last month, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson admitted that Tehran was in "technical compliance" with the 2015 nuclear agreement. 

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