Congressman Jeffries Announces His Support For Iran Nuclear Deal

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries announced Tuesday he would support the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran.

In a lengthy article published on Medium, Jeffries explained how he arrived at his decision:

This deal is not perfect. Nevertheless, after rigorous examination, I have concluded that upholding the agreement and affirming the diplomatic path that has been charted represents the best course of action to prevent Iran from weaponizing its uranium and plutonium stockpiles.

Congress has until September 17 approve or reject the deal, which seeks to curb Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon. In the agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United State and five other world powers promise to lift crippling economic sanctions on Iran if the country reduces its nuclear stockpile and submits to regular inspections.

Jeffries announcement comes one day after four other House Democrats, three from New York and one from Florida, also declared their support for the deal, the New York Times reports. Jeffries position on the Iran agreement received significant scrutiny, since it could be an indicator of whether congress would have enough votes to reject the proposal. Jeffries received strong support during his first campaign from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which fiercely opposes the deal, according to the Times.

Jeffries wrote that he arrived at his decision after carefully analyzing the text of the agreement, attending classified and unclassified briefings and meetings with all interested parties, including the Obama administration and Israel’s Ambassador to the United States. He also held several town hall meetings with constituents to hear their concerns about the deal.

“Moving forward, Congress will play an important role in guaranteeing that sufficient resources are deployed for the implementation of the JCPOA and our increased efforts to counter Iran’s activities throughout the Middle East,” Jeffries wrote.