Blumenthal Statement on Trump's Imminent Failure to Certify Iran Nuclear Agreement to Congress

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement in response to reports of President Trump’s imminent failure to issue a compliance certification related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as required by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA).

“This action will undermine America’s credibility with our allies and jeopardize our ability to hold Iran accountable. Nothing has changed since the President twice notified Congress that preventing a nuclear-armed Iran through enforcing the agreement was in our national security interest. I firmly believe we must do much more to hold Iran accountable for its other malign actions. The President has failed to do so and this misstep will make that task even harder,” said Blumenthal.

Blumenthal was a cosponsor of INARA, which overwhelmingly passed in 2015 and provides greater congressional oversight of the nuclear agreement. Among other things, INARA requires the President to issue a compliance certification every 90 days to Congress to certify that Iran is implementing the deal, has not breached the deal, has not taken action to advance its nuclear weapons program, and that the continued waiving of sanctions is vital to U.S. national security interests. President Trump has previously certified compliance twice this year.

Failure to certify could result in a vote to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on countries that trade with Iran without clear evidence provided by the Administration that a breach of the deal has occurred. Further, it will reduce American credibility with international partners at a time when the world faces a host of pressing national security issues, notably North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.