Activists participate in a protest in front of the White House October 12, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Oct 13, 2017
In response to President Donald Trump's decertification of the Iran nuclear accord Friday, a coalition of grassroots organizations representing tens of millions of Americans slammed the White House's "reckless" decision to undermine an extremely successful and broadly popular diplomatic effort.
"If the accord continues to unravel, the U.S. and Iran will be back on the path to war." --Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council"Let us be clear: Trump's decertification decision has no basis in reality, is without justification, and flies in the face of eight International Atomic Energy Agency compliance reports and expert opinion, including that of Trump's own national security team," the coalition--which includes Win Without War, Peace Action, MoveOn.org, and Indivisible--noted in a joint statement on Friday. "Trump's move will not only grievously undermine America's role in the world and its ability to conduct diplomacy writ large--and particularly with North Korea--but it could also leave Iran's nuclear program unconstrained, thereby setting the stage for further military conflict."
"Congress will now decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the nuclear agreement," the coalition concluded. "Make no mistake: a vote to reimpose these sanctions is a vote to kill the JCPOA, and ultimately, a vote for war."
While Trump's announcement on Friday does not signify immediate changes to the nature of the nuclear agreement, commentators were quick to note that Trump is setting the stage for future sabotage of the deal by kicking the issue to the Republican-controlled Congress.
Analysts were also quick to note that the alternative path the Trump administration has suggested--which is summarized in a series of White House talking points that leaked ahead of the president's speech--more closely resembles a "cut-and-paste job from a poorly-written Wikipedia entry" than an actual strategy.
In a statement released ahead of Trump's speech Friday, Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, argued that no matter what "fancy words are used to describe the process" that follows the president's decertification of the accord, "in reality it is nothing short of the U.S. reneging on its word."
"This opens the door for Iran to respond in kind by also threatening to renege on its commitments lest the U.S. gives it additional concessions. This is a recipe for disaster," Parsi concluded. "If the accord continues to unravel, the U.S. and Iran will be back on the path to war."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In response to President Donald Trump's decertification of the Iran nuclear accord Friday, a coalition of grassroots organizations representing tens of millions of Americans slammed the White House's "reckless" decision to undermine an extremely successful and broadly popular diplomatic effort.
"If the accord continues to unravel, the U.S. and Iran will be back on the path to war." --Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council"Let us be clear: Trump's decertification decision has no basis in reality, is without justification, and flies in the face of eight International Atomic Energy Agency compliance reports and expert opinion, including that of Trump's own national security team," the coalition--which includes Win Without War, Peace Action, MoveOn.org, and Indivisible--noted in a joint statement on Friday. "Trump's move will not only grievously undermine America's role in the world and its ability to conduct diplomacy writ large--and particularly with North Korea--but it could also leave Iran's nuclear program unconstrained, thereby setting the stage for further military conflict."
"Congress will now decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the nuclear agreement," the coalition concluded. "Make no mistake: a vote to reimpose these sanctions is a vote to kill the JCPOA, and ultimately, a vote for war."
While Trump's announcement on Friday does not signify immediate changes to the nature of the nuclear agreement, commentators were quick to note that Trump is setting the stage for future sabotage of the deal by kicking the issue to the Republican-controlled Congress.
Analysts were also quick to note that the alternative path the Trump administration has suggested--which is summarized in a series of White House talking points that leaked ahead of the president's speech--more closely resembles a "cut-and-paste job from a poorly-written Wikipedia entry" than an actual strategy.
In a statement released ahead of Trump's speech Friday, Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, argued that no matter what "fancy words are used to describe the process" that follows the president's decertification of the accord, "in reality it is nothing short of the U.S. reneging on its word."
"This opens the door for Iran to respond in kind by also threatening to renege on its commitments lest the U.S. gives it additional concessions. This is a recipe for disaster," Parsi concluded. "If the accord continues to unravel, the U.S. and Iran will be back on the path to war."
In response to President Donald Trump's decertification of the Iran nuclear accord Friday, a coalition of grassroots organizations representing tens of millions of Americans slammed the White House's "reckless" decision to undermine an extremely successful and broadly popular diplomatic effort.
"If the accord continues to unravel, the U.S. and Iran will be back on the path to war." --Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council"Let us be clear: Trump's decertification decision has no basis in reality, is without justification, and flies in the face of eight International Atomic Energy Agency compliance reports and expert opinion, including that of Trump's own national security team," the coalition--which includes Win Without War, Peace Action, MoveOn.org, and Indivisible--noted in a joint statement on Friday. "Trump's move will not only grievously undermine America's role in the world and its ability to conduct diplomacy writ large--and particularly with North Korea--but it could also leave Iran's nuclear program unconstrained, thereby setting the stage for further military conflict."
"Congress will now decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the nuclear agreement," the coalition concluded. "Make no mistake: a vote to reimpose these sanctions is a vote to kill the JCPOA, and ultimately, a vote for war."
While Trump's announcement on Friday does not signify immediate changes to the nature of the nuclear agreement, commentators were quick to note that Trump is setting the stage for future sabotage of the deal by kicking the issue to the Republican-controlled Congress.
Analysts were also quick to note that the alternative path the Trump administration has suggested--which is summarized in a series of White House talking points that leaked ahead of the president's speech--more closely resembles a "cut-and-paste job from a poorly-written Wikipedia entry" than an actual strategy.
In a statement released ahead of Trump's speech Friday, Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, argued that no matter what "fancy words are used to describe the process" that follows the president's decertification of the accord, "in reality it is nothing short of the U.S. reneging on its word."
"This opens the door for Iran to respond in kind by also threatening to renege on its commitments lest the U.S. gives it additional concessions. This is a recipe for disaster," Parsi concluded. "If the accord continues to unravel, the U.S. and Iran will be back on the path to war."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.