Congressional Republicans Back Full Dismantlement of Iranian Nuclear Program in Letters to Trump

Latest Developments

• Congress Urges No Enrichment for Iran: Republican members of the House and Senate urged President Donald Trump to ensure that Iran cannot continue enriching uranium as part of a new nuclear deal. In letters signed by 52 members of the Senate and 177 members of the House of Representatives, the lawmakers expressed strong support for a deal that fully dismantles Iran’s nuclear program and requires it to “permanently give up any capacity for enrichment.”
• JCPOA Allowed Iran to Reach ‘Brink of Nuclear Breakout’: The letters reiterated Trump’s reasons for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), because it “allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.” The original deal also permitted Iran to continue profiting from its oil sales, allowed third-party states to assist Iran in building its nuclear program, and terminated UN sanctions. “We cannot afford another agreement that enables Iran to play for time, as the JCPOA did,” the letter stated.
• Enrichment ‘Not Negotiable’ for Iran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously asserted that “the core issue of enrichment itself is not negotiable.” Prior to the fourth round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, White House envoy Steve Witkoff emphasized that “an enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again.” One day earlier, Trump told reporters that the administration hadn’t decided whether to allow Iran to maintain a civilian enrichment program.

FDD Expert Response

“The letters draw on Trump’s own policy and even the president’s own language of seeking full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, including the original sin of the 2015 nuclear deal: to allow uranium enrichment on Iranian soil. The letters will help the president enforce his own red lines and be the ‘bad cop’ in the ongoing nuclear negotiations, rather than allowing the Iranians to bully the United States into another bad deal.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“The president and now his party have spoken: dismantlement of Iran’s enrichment program is the standard they expect in any negotiated deal with Tehran. Anything less would leave the regime with a path to nuclear weapons.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“‘Tensions Could Become Irreversible’: Iran Threatens Consequences for Europe if Sanctions ‘Snapped Back’ Before October Sunset,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘Difficult But Useful’: United States and Iran Hold Fourth Round of Nuclear Talks in Oman,” FDD Flash Brief

“Any Iranian Enrichment Gives Tehran a Path to Nuclear Weapons,” by Andrea Stricker