Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement following Donald Trump’s announcement that he would decertify Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal:

“The President’s decision to decertify Iranian compliance with the JCPOA, with no basis in fact, is shortsighted and foolhardy and will only serve to further destabilize the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. General Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, the IAEA, and our European partners all maintain that Iran is in compliance with the nuclear agreement. Decertification undermines US credibility as a negotiating partner, is a slap in the face to our allies, and threatens a carefully crafted international agreement. 

Based on both the President’s public statements and multiple press reports, a critical foreign policy decision appears to have been made, not because it is in the interest of American national security, but in order to mollify the whims of our volatile President. Temper tantrums are not a substitute for careful international diplomacy. Now it is incumbent upon Congress to do no further harm. We must ensure that the JCPOA, our best chance to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, remains in force.”

Beyer served from 2009-2013 as US Ambassador to Switzerland, which is the “protecting power” for diplomatic discussions between Iran and the United States, which have not had formalized diplomatic relations since 1980. He was a vocal supporter of the JCPOA during his first term in the House, where he worked with the Obama Administration to build Congressional support for the agreement.