Deutch pushes to keep Iran nuclear deal
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch said Wednesday that the Trump administration should recertify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal struck under the Obama administration, even though it’s something Deutch voted against when it came before Congress.
Deutch, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Iran is still guilty of much wrongdoing, including supporting terrorism, human rights violations and a ballistic missile weapons program.
But, he said in a written statement, given that the nuclear deal is in place, it should be preserved unless there is “clear evidence of Iranian violations.” If President Donald Trump doesn’t certify Iran’s compliance absent such evidence, Deutch warned the united front against Iran would be damaged. The nuclear deal “is an imperfect agreement, but to address the problematic provisions, including the sunset clauses, we will need to stay in lockstep with our global partners.”
Deutch and U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., led an effort by 182 Democratic members of Congress who wrote to Trump on Wednesday urging him to recertify Iran’s compliance with the July 2015 agreement.
The large number of signers of the letter, even though they’re all from the same party, is unusual for an issue as divisive as Iran. There are 194 Democrats in the House.
All members of the Democratic leadership signed, and all South Florida Democrats signed as well.
Trump repeatedly promised during the election campaign that he would “rip up” the Iran deal on “day one” of his presidency. That didn’t happen, but Trump has suggested that he might withhold certification of Iran’s compliance, something that is required every three months. The next recertification deadline is Oct. 15.
On Tuesday, Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he thinks it is in the U.S. national security interest to remain part of the deal.
In August 2015, Deutch said he had “great respect” for then-President Barack Obama’s work in the deal, but after spending “hundreds of hours” reviewing classified and unclassified documents and holding a range of meetings on the subject he concluded it was a bad deal.
“Too many issues have long raised as essential to any nuclear deal with Iran are not adequately addressed in this agreement,” he wrote as he announced his decision. “There are different predictions about what will happen if Congress rejects this deal. But the consequences of approving it aren’t up for debate. Opening Iran up to foreign investment, increasing its oil exports, and unfreezing over $100 billion in assets means more money for Hamas for building terror tunnels in Gaza, more weapons for Hezbollah in Lebanon, more slaughter in Syria, and more violence worldwide.”
Since Congress approved the deal and it went into effect, Deutch has supported keeping it in place.
Deutch has pressured both the Obama and Trump administrations on another issue involving Iran: the attempt to get Bob Levinson returned home.
Levinson, a Coral Springs resident, went missing off the coast of Iran a decade ago. The former agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI was working for the CIA when he planned a trip in 2007 to Kish Island, a resort island in the Persian Gulf that is a part of Iran, where he was trying to cultivate an informant for the CIA.
Years of congressional and presidential efforts to get information and action on Levinson have, so far, not yielded results.