Talking Points: No War With Iran

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TRUMP, CONGRESS & NEOCONS ARE PUTTING THE U.S. BACK ON A PATH TO WAR WITH IRAN

SUMMARY

The Iran nuclear deal is in trouble​, not because Iran or any of America’s partners in the deal — the EU, China, and Russia — aren’t abiding by its terms. The Iran deal is on the brink of collapse because the Trump administration, some members of Congress, and a contingent of well-funded and influential neoconservatives in Washington want to kill it, by a thousand cuts if necessary. But they don’t just want to kill the deal, some are even arguing for regime change in Tehran.

The Iran deal turned two years old in July and the reality is that by all objective accounts, it is doing what it’s supposed to do: blocking Iran from building nuclear weapons and keeping America and its allies safe​.

Despite these facts, President Trump himself may have violated the agreement by calling on nations of the world to refrain from doing business in Iran; and he’s threatening that he won’t certify Iran’s compliance — something Congress has compelled the president to do every 90 days — despite recommendations to the contrary from his top national security advisers. Moves like these put the United States ​back on the​ ​path to war with Iran​.

To satisfy Trump’s whims, the White House is reportedly bypassing the State Department to set up a special office to come up with a plan that will allow Trump to say Iran isn’t abiding by the deal.

TOWNHALL SAMPLE QUESTIONS

  • Are you concerned that some of your Congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and their neoconservative allies are deliberately trying to kill the Iran nuclear deal? If so, what are you doing to hinder their efforts?
  • Do you agree that the Iran nuclear deal has made the world safer? If so, will you oppose any move to undermine it?
  • The United Nations says Iran is abiding by the deal and our own government agencies like the State Department concur. So long as the UN and government experts continue to say this, will you strongly oppose any attempt by President Trump to undermine it, including his possible refusal to certify that Iran is complying?

MESSAGING POINTS

  • The Iran deal is working. It verifiably blocks Iran’s paths to building or acquiring a nuclear bomb and greatly strengthens the security of the United States and our allies.
  • The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog continues to verify that Iran is complying with the deal. ​[Source] Undermining the Iran nuclear deal puts the U.S. back on the path toward direct military confrontation with Iran.
  • Placing additional sanctions that undermine the nuclear deal could be interpreted as the United States failing to meet its own obligations under the agreement. [Source]
  • If the U.S. is deemed at fault in the nuclear deal’s collapse, it will lose the support of its international negotiating partners on the Iran deal and face isolation in reining in Iran’s program.
  • Without the nuclear deal in place, the U.S. faces greater probability of war with Iran. International security experts say the Iran nuclear agreement enhances the security of the United States and its allies, and makes war with Iran less likely.
  • Nearly 40 retired U.S. admirals and generals said recently that the deal “successfully blocked Iran’s paths to a nuclear weapon and has greatly strengthened the security of the United States and our allies.” [Source]
  • The former head of Israel’s General Security Service, the Shin Bet, said recently that because of the Iran deal, “the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon is more remote than it has been in decades. Thanks to the agreement, Iran’s nuclear program has been defanged and all its pathways to a bomb blocked.” [Source] Diplomacy remains the best option going forward in dealing with Iran.
  • Iran is indeed a bad actor — whether it’s terrorism sponsorship, human rights abuses, or ballistic missile activities — there is no military solution to these challenges. In fact, Iran without a nuclear weapon makes these challenges easier to address.
  • Given the threats and challenges currently emanating from North Korea, it makes no sense to add a gratuitous nuclear crisis to the global threat environment — particularly when we have an effective agreement in place that prevents Iran from going down a similar road.
  • Diplomacy is the best way to achieve lasting solutions to security crises. We must refrain from aggressive actions that could endanger the lives of U.S. troops, undermine the nuclear deal and put us on the path to war