Wednesday, 10 February 2021 (YJC)_ Joe Biden Faces JCPOA Battle at Home While Allies, Rivals Abroad Urge Him to Re-Sign.
President Joe Biden knew he would face a battle over his plan to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran.
His predecessor's 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal was lauded by American conservatives and anti-Iran allies including Israel as a victory for common sense and U.S. security. The deal, they argued, was inherently flawed and represented a capitulation to an authoritarian and duplicitous regime in Tehran.
Those same voices are now mobilizing against the president's plan to return to the JCPOA. This week, 120 House Republicans signed an open letter urging Biden not to pursue a detente with Tehran.
"It is critically important that you do not allow history to repeat itself with a fatally flawed Iran nuclear deal," the Republican lawmakers wrote.
They and other critics have warned that the 2015 deal includes so-called sunset clauses, which mean nuclear restrictions on Iran will be lifted in 2025, and that the accord does not cover Tehran's ballistic missile research program or limit its use of regional proxy forces to attack its enemies.
Rejoining "would be a strategic U.S. foreign policy blunder, exponentially more dangerous than the consequences of the original misguided approach," the Republican letter said.
Biden has sought to allay fears about the JCPOA's shortcomings, framing the deal as a foundation for a "longer and stronger" agreement that would place further curbs on Tehran's nuclear program and limit its regional activities and missile research.
White House officials have warned that the U.S. will not imminently return to compliance with the deal, demanding that Iran first scale back its nuclear activities in line with the JCPOA.
The 120 House Republicans said engaging with Tehran would be a mistake. "Iran does not respect weakness. It only respects strength," they wrote.
"Use of force and military action should always be the last possible option, but we must keep it on the table, not because we want war, but because we want to prevent it," they added.
"Our other instruments of national power, such as diplomatic and economic pressure, can become greater tools in this effort when Iran understands that the military option is on the table and real."
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