WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE JCPOA

promises to satisfy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the possiblemilitary dimensions of its nuclear program, its acceptance of the Additional Protocol of theNon-Proliferation Treaty and its pledge to turn away permanently from any temptation toacquire a nuclear weapon, not just during the term of the agreement but after its expiration.We also hope that the large sums of money that will come to Iran following the lifting ofsanctions will be used for internal development and the betterment of its citizens, not forfurther support for groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.It is also a requirement that the U.S. government be vigilant against any obstruction of IAEAinspections of declared or suspect sites and recognize the difficulty of “snapping back”sanctions if there are violations. We believe it is critical that the US government take actionsto deal with the significant opposition to this agreement from our closest Arab allies in theMiddle East and from Israel, which views an Iranian nuclear weapon as an existential threat.The US government, working with its European allies, must act urgently to insure that theJCPOA does not ignite a new nuclear arms race in the volatile Middle East, and that theend of the multilateral conventional arms embargo and missile embargo on Iran in five andeight years respectively does not threaten American interests in the region or those of ourallies. The United States must provide our allies with the means necessary to defendthemselves against threats from Iran and its proxies. Iran must also know that the UnitedStates views Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon during or after the expiration of theJCPOA as unacceptable, and will take all actions necessary to assure against thiscontingency.Still, we come to the conclusion, even in a worst or most likely a mixed case scenario, thatthis agreement is better than the alternatives if the JCPOA is rejected. We would be left withonly a military option, which may be necessary if Iran actually marches toward a nuclearweapon.We believe that additional sanctions are not likely to produce a significantly improvedagreement. The reason is that we already have the most extensive, comprehensivesanctions ever exacted against a country in peacetime, and there are few others availableto the United States. Moreover, it is highly doubtful that the European Union, China and