Carper Statement on Trump’s Decertification of the Iran Nuclear Deal

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a retired Navy captain and former naval flight officer, released the following statement today after President Trump announced he would decertify the nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“It is beyond curious – almost bizarre, in fact – that President Trump would say the nuclear deal with Iran is not in the best interest of our country’s national security. By every measure, the president is far from an expert on this critical agreement that has kept the Iranian government from developing a nuclear weapon, and subjected the country to rigorous, intrusive and unprecedented inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. But some of the president’s closest and most senior advisors, including his Defense Secretary, his Secretary of State, his National Security Advisor and his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are experts, and they have been unanimous: Iran is complying with the deal and it bolsters the security of our country.

“The president’s announcement today not only compromises this historic pact, but it also compromises our integrity as an earnest participant in global negotiations to protect our national security. As we face a difficult challenge to keep North Korea from launching a nuclear weapon, this move has torpedoed our ability to use diplomacy to keep Americans safe. President Trump has just broadcast to the world, especially to our closest allies, that we don’t intend to live up to our word.

“Finally, President Trump has promised this country that he is laser-focused on job creation. But today, he has exacted a self-inflicted wound on our economy. Aside from stopping Iran’s nuclear program in its tracks, this deal paved the way for some U.S. corporations to do business with the country.

“We hear constantly from this administration that we must do everything we can to support the American manufacturing industry. Yet, wavering on our commitment to the nuclear agreement jeopardizes a deal for Iran to purchase as much as $16 billion worth of commercial aircraft from Boeing, one of our country’s biggest domestic manufacturers, which employs hundreds of thousands of people. It also jeopardizes a $10 billion deal Iran has with Airbus, a European manufacturer that produces more than half of its aircraft with parts made right here in the United States. This, in turn, supports thousands of U.S. jobs and drives our economy forward. Backing away from the nuclear agreement, even if only in words, compromises the future of these deals, and it certainly calls into question the president’s commitment to putting Americans back to work.”

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