We applaud the U.S. senators who today defeated attempts to kill the Iran nuclear agreement – effectively ensuring that the agreement will soon come into force.
"The agreement is the best way to stop Iran from building a bomb,” said Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione. "It has profound, positive implications for the entire nonproliferation regime,” he added. "It immediately becomes the gold standard for nuclear agreements. Any nation in the future that wants to have even token enrichment capacity will have to accept a similarly intrusive monitoring and inspection regime. It is a remarkable diplomatic achievement."
"The Senate's laudable action today confirms that Congress cannot block the Iran agreement," said Tom Collina, policy director at Ploughshares Fund. "Continued efforts to kill the deal are futile, and it is time for opponents to stand down. If they don’t, they would reveal the partisan political nature of their opposition and their willingness to embarrass the entire nation while the world looks on."
"As former Secretary of State George Shultz said, ‘Nothing is ever over in Washington,' " added Cirincione. “Opponents of this agreement will keep trying to find ways to tripwire and booby trap the agreement even after it’s officially signed and sealed. We need to be ready to protect this accord for months – and even years – to come."
