Dear Senator,
At this point, Council for a Livable World neither supports nor opposes the “Iran Policy Oversight Act of 2015” introduced by several Senate Democrats with the stated intention of strengthening congressional oversight of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and countering Iran’s influence in the region.
The introduced bill is a milder version of previous drafts and no longer includes the provisions that would have directly undermined the implementation of the JCPOA. The bill includes important provisions to increase reporting on how implementation of the JCPOA is affecting regional stability and to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with the funds necessary to effectively monitor and verify that Iran is in compliance with its obligations under the agreement.
On the downside, some of the rhetoric in the bill could initiate a cycle of posturing by hardliners in both Iran and the U.S. that would undermine the opportunity created by the JCPOA for dialogue and the pursuit of common interests.
For these reasons, Council for a Livable World neither supports nor opposes the legislation, but urges Congress to take the necessary steps to fully fund and oversee the proper implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as it represents the best possible option for preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon and another war in the Middle East.
Sincerely,
Angela Canterbury
Executive Director
John Isaacs
Senior Fellow