Letter on Iran Negotiations
Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write with grave concern regarding the breakdown of nuclear negotiations in Vienna. Despite numerous warning signs and Iran’s repeated abrogation of the nuclear agreement, Administration officials allowed Obama-era nostalgia for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to undergird our Iran policy – with disastrous results. Instead of negotiating in good faith, the Iranians have used the past year to augment their nuclear capabilities and garner critical knowledge in the development of nuclear weapons. The knowledge gained by Iran is irreversible, and both the American People and our allies, especially Israel, will have to live with that.
Given your stated proclivity for contingency planning, we implore your complete dissolution of talks with Iran. Your Administration’s puzzling insistence on forging a nuclear agreement with a State Sponsor of Terrorism, which has used the past year to develop its own nuclear program as a result, is perhaps an indication that there is no Plan B for when discussions inevitably fall apart.
The threat Iran poses to wider regional security cannot be understated. Iran is governed by a radical Islamic terrorist organization, the foremost goal of which is the establishment of regional hegemony, and it will use whatever resources at its disposal and employ whatever policies are needed to meet that objective.
Notwithstanding Secretary Blinken’s pronouncements that America is seeking “a longer, stronger deal with Iran,”1 it is clear to anyone living in reality that the Iranians have absolutely no intention of negotiating a new nuclear agreement. Iran has repeatedly violated the terms of the JCPOA and began enriching uranium to 60 percent purity in April2, from which the 90 percent threshold necessary for a nuclear bomb could be readily attained. Under the terms of the JCPOA, Iran was allowed enrichment at a level of 3.65 percent.
Virtually every step Iran has taken in its rapid development of nuclear weapons has occurred under this Administration, and began approximately when the United States pledged not to “snapback” sanctions on Iran and opened the door to renegotiating a new nuclear deal without precondition.3 In February, Iran commenced production of uranium metal, a critical ingredient in the development of nuclear weapons. That same month, Iran also cut back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA has been unable to investigate specific declared nuclear sites, and IAEA Director Rafael Grossi has stated that Iran’s actions have “seriously undermined” his agency’s ability to verify whether Iran was living up to its obligations.4 In August, Iran began increasing development of advanced centrifuge parts, and while Grossi was able to get an agreement with Iran last month on the establishment of surveillance cameras to help the IAEA’s verification and monitoring mandate, even Grossi admitted that “there might be gaps.”5 Iran’s disingenuous approach to these so-called “nuclear negotiations” have only further demonstrated their lack of sincerity and purpose.
To the United States, the Iran threat is ever present, but to Israel, Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear arsenal is an immediate matter of life and death. Mr. President, in a meeting last August with Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, you pledged an “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.”6 You also pledged to explore “other options” if the diplomatic route with Iran breaks down.7 Now that nuclear negotiations have been severely discredited, your Administration must begin its engagement in “other options.”
While they patiently wait for the inevitable dissolution of the Vienna negotiations, Israel remains surrounded – in a pincer-like grip – by Iranian-backed Hezbollah in the north, and Iranian and Qatari-backed Hamas in the south. The Iranians have succeeded in establishing a terror base in Lebanon with a massive arsenal of approximately 150,000 missiles, over 100 of which have been converted into precision guided munitions which can accurately pinpoint critical locations of Israel’s national infrastructure. These locations include Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv (the Kiriya), the Parliament (Knesset), its nuclear facility in Damona, and its electric grid. While Israel has exceptional military capability, its relatively small size makes it a prime target for a terrorist state whose leaders have at various points pledged the total destruction of Israel; as former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said in December 2001, “one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything.”8
Despite your repeated proclamations regarding the nature of our Nation’s commitment to Israel’s security, your rhetoric has not come to fruition. We were dismayed that Israel’s request for an expedited delivery of the KC-46 refueling tanker planes was denied, with delivery not expected until 2024. Your Administration apparently still believes it can coax some agreement out of Iran, and the denial of self-defense equipment to our most important ally indicates, at best, an appalling lack of judgement. In the meantime, Israel is investing every resource it can to protect its territorial integrity, and is now engaging in war games to shore up its capabilities.9
We request that you provide us a credible “Plan B” option given the increasing likelihood that the talks in Vienna stall, and reiterate your unmitigated support for the state of Israel, to include the unimpeded provision of materiel they require to defend themselves.
Respectfully,
Reps. Babin, Bacon, Banks, Cawthorn, Bill Johnson, Boebert, Budd, Cline, Cole, Davis, Duncan, Fleischmann, Gibbs, Gohmert, Good, Grothman, Harris, Higgins, Hudson, Lamalfa, Lamborn, Mace, Mary Miller, Mast, McClintock, McKinley, Perry, Ronny Jackson, Adrian Smith, Steube, Tenney, Van Drew, Waltz and Weber