Rep. Jerrold Nadler on Friday became the first Jewish member of the New York delegation to back the Iran deal, though he did so tepidly, and admitted the deal has “flaws.”
“After carefully studying the agreement and the arguments and analyses from all sides, I have concluded that, of all the alternatives, approval of the JCPOA, for all its flaws, gives us the best chance of stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” he said of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. “Accordingly, I will support the agreement and vote against a Resolution of Disapproval.”
Nadler came out in favor of the agreement on Friday after receiving a lengthy letter from President Obama earlier this week. Nadler said he is “gratified” by the president’s response to a number of his concerns.
“I have been very open about my concerns over the Iran nuclear deal … as have many of my colleagues,” Nadler said in a statement issued Friday.
Nadler said his concerns include permanently stopping Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, the continued U.S. commitment to strengthening its strategic relationship with Israel, and Iran’s “continued destabilizing influence through support of terrorism and other actions that threaten Israel’s security and the security of other Middle East allies.”
“A number of us raised those concerns with the administration, and directly with the president, in the hope that certain assurances could be made, and I am gratified that the president’s response satisfies a number of these concerns,” he said.
One of those specific concerns is that key parts of the Iran deal expire in 10 to 15 years, but he said Congress needs to concern “whether the deal is preferable to available alternatives.”
Nadler’s support is significant considering the recent opposition expressed by other prominent Jewish Democrats from New York, including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Eliot Engel, Nita Lowey and Steve Israel.
Obama has struggled to muster support for the deal among Jewish Democrats in Congress considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vehement opposition to the deal. But in his letter to Nadler and several other wavering Democrats, Obama tried to reassure them that he would take strong economic or military action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon if Tehran fails to hold up its end of the agreement.
“As I have repeatedly emphasized, my administration will take whatever means are necessary to achieve that goal, including military means,” he wrote. “Should Iran seek to dash toward a nuclear weapon, all of the options available to the United States – including the military option – will remain available through the life of the deal and beyond.”
The president also said he believes Israel’s security is “sacrosanct” and detailed the “unprecedented” military, intelligence and security support and cooperation his administration has provided.
Some of the support the president listed includes $20.5 billion in foreign military financing; $3 billion for the Iron Dome missile defense system; and “unparalleled access” to the most advanced military equipment in the world, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which he said will be delivered in 2016.
In addition, the president said the U.S. will continue talks with Israel to conclude a new 10-year Memorandum of Understanding on foreign military financing to cement an unprecedented level of assistance over the next decade, increase missile defense funding to accelerate funding for new systems, and find new ways to accelerate funding for tunnel detection and mapping technologies to detect tunnels before they can be used to threaten the country.
“I firmly believe that we have an important opportunity now to build on and fortify the United States’ historic and enduring commitment to Israel’s security,” he wrote.
Read Obama’s letter to Nadler here:
