In the wake of reports that Iran has stopped dismantling uranium-enriching centrifuges, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D – Md.) released a statement calling on the United States and its partner nations not to tolerate any Iranian violations of the nuclear deal, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., voted for the Iran nuclear agreement, but he warned that this new development poses a major challenge for the administration.
“The United States and our international partners must not tolerate any attempt by Iran to bend to its hardliners by delaying the fulfillment of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” Hoyer said. “Allegations that Iran has paused the dismantling of centrifuges at two enrichment plants, which it is required to do under the JCPOA, are disconcerting, and they come just after Iran detained another American citizen and tested a ballistic missile.”
The statement continued:
As I have stated many times before, Iran’s leadership cannot be trusted, which is why there must be clear and unambiguous consequences for even minor violations of the agreement. The P5+1 and the United Nations Security Council must put in place the strictest enforcement regime possible. Iran’s leaders must know with certainty that they cannot get away with shirking any of their obligations to dismantle key components of their country’s nuclear program. Iran’s government must decide whether to adhere to its international commitments or continue to be a pariah state by giving in to conservatives and the hardliners in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who call for Israel’s destruction and encourage the support of terrorist organizations abroad.
Citing concerns with the Iranian threat, a group of 16 Democratic senators, led by Sens. Michael Bennet (D – Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D – Conn.), and Ben Cardin (D – Md.), sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to renew and strengthen the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governing American security assistance to Israel, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported Tuesday.
The letter called on Obama to conclude the new memorandum as well as to “provide the necessary and appropriate measures to deter Iran,” such as ordinance and delivery systems, as well as to enhance Israel’s qualitative military edge over countries in the region.
“These measures are necessary to deter conventional and asymmetric threats to Israel. We also support providing missile defense funding, as necessary and appropriate, to accelerate the co-development of missile defense systems, and increased bilateral cooperation on cyber, intelligence, and research and development for tunnel detection and mapping technologies,” the letter said.
The letter specifically cited Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, as well as the threats posed to Israel by Iran-backed terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israel is a major strategic partner in an unpredictable region. Just last month, Iran conducted a ballistic missile test in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, calling into question the Iranian government’s willingness to abide by its international commitments. Meanwhile, Hamas and Hezbollah are rebuilding their terrorist infrastructure in preparation for the next conflict with Israel. The Russian military has escalated its involvement in the Syrian civil war, worsening the conflict on Israel’s border and exacerbating the violent extremist threat that present serious security challenges to Israel. The regional humanitarian crisis and refugee exodus is jeopardizing stability and security in the region, as are terrorist threats in the Sinai Peninsula.
14 of the 16 senators who signed the letter supported the nuclear deal with Iran.
The letter comes amid polling that shows that bipartisan support for Israel remains strong and is growing.