Former U.S. Ambassadors to Israel Support the Iran Deal

More support from professionals for the nuclear deal with Iran:

July 27, 2015

Dear Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi:

As former United States ambassadors to Israel and former Under Secretaries of State, we have worked throughout our careers to strengthen and deepen the bonds between the United States and Israel. Our firm instructions in every administration we served, reflecting American national interests and values, were to help assure Israel's well-being and safety.

It is our commitment to this enduring objective of American policy that motivates us now to write in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached by the five permanent United Nations Security Council members plus Germany (P5+1). We are persuaded that this agreement will put in place a set of constraints and monitoring measures that will arrest Iran's nuclear program for at least fifteen years and assure that this agreement will leave Iran no legitimate avenue to produce a nuclear weapon during the next ten to fifteen years. This landmark agreement removes the threat that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose to the region and to Israel specifically.

We acknowledge that the JCPOA does not achieve all of the goals its current detractors have set for it. But it does meet all of the key goals required for high confidence. . . .  We see no fatal flaws that should call for the rejection of this agreement and have not heard any viable alternatives from those who oppose the implementation of the JCPOA.

Those who advocate rejection of the JCPOA should assess carefully the value and feasibility of any alternative strategy to meet the goal of better protecting the security of the U.S. and Israel and more effectively prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The consequences of rejection are grave. . . .
The Administration must make clear that it will remain the firm policy of the United States during the agreement and beyond, to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon by all necessary means.

During the implementation period of the JCPOA, it is essential that Israel remain assured by the Administration of the enduring and unequivocal American commitment to its security and well-being. The prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran must remain a highest priority of U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Sincerely,

R. Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and Ambassador to NATO
James Cunningham, former Ambassador to Israel
William Harrop, former Ambassador to Israel
Daniel Kurtzer, former Ambassador to Israel
Thomas R. Pickering, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and former Ambassador to Israel
Edward S. Walker Jr., former Ambassador to Israel
Frank G. Wisner, former Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

By and large, the more people know about the deal, the more likely they are to support it.