United States Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement Wednesday expressing his support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement between the P5+1 nations and Iran aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon:
“Since the beginning of the 60-day Congressional review period, I have engaged in lengthy, careful, and deliberative review of the JCPOA agreement in which I met with President Barack Obama, attended numerous classified congressional briefings, attended hearings as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, met with pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and J Street, spoke with the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., read almost all related classified and unclassified documents, met frequently with other Jewish members to discuss the proposed deal, talked directly to constituents, and read every constituent e-mail and letter on this issue.
I have never studied an issue in such depth, and I have never been lobbied as hard. I believe that this is the most important vote that I will take while I am in Congress.
I have decided to support the JCPOA agreement because I believe it is the best chance we have at preventing a nuclear-armed Iran. I believe that this agreement is in the best security interests of my constituents, our nation, for Israel, and the world.
Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and the world cannot tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. This agreement is the best method to accomplish that without the use of military force and the catastrophic violence this would unleash.
As the President pointed out to me, every nation in the world–except Israel–supports the agreement. And I agree with the President when he said that if the agreement fails in the Congress, the prestige of the United States as well as our ability to maintain in- ternational sanctions against Iran would be greatly weakened.”
