Congress Members React to Trump's Decision on Iran's Compliance with the JCPOA

Several senior Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have supported Donald Trump's new strategy towards Iran. Meanwhile, Democrats have criticized this new approach. Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker of the House, announced his support for Trump's recent decision to reassess the nuclear agreement. According to the English website of Voice of America, Paul Ryan stated: "Simply implementing an agreement that is fatally flawed is not enough. I support President Trump's decision to reassess this dangerous agreement, and the House will work with the administration to counter Iran's destabilizing actions." In this context, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Majority Leader of the House, Ed Royce, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Liz Cheney, a senior member of the House, issued a joint statement declaring their intention to work with the Trump administration to address the flaws in the nuclear agreement with Iran. However, they emphasized the need to intensify non-nuclear sanctions against Iran. The joint statement reads: "We cannot allow such a regime to become a nuclear power. The nuclear agreement has significant flaws that must be addressed. We are committed to working with the President to rectify these flaws in the nuclear agreement, compel Iran to meet its commitments, and cooperate in efforts to counter Iran's threats." The statement further noted: "We will take significant steps in the House in the coming weeks to pass sanctions unrelated to the nuclear agreement with Iran to target activities such as Iran's support for terrorism or its missile testing." Senator John McCain, a Republican, also welcomed Trump's new strategy towards Iran. Meanwhile, Democrats in the House and Senate have criticized Trump's new strategy. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Minority Leader in the House, called Trump's decision not to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement a "serious mistake." She considered the nuclear agreement with Iran the best way to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Ben Cardin, the most senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assessed the President's new strategy as Trump's most dangerous decision. Bob Menendez, a Democratic senator and opponent of the nuclear agreement with Iran, stated that Trump's decision regarding Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA is effectively nothing but will confuse our allies and strengthen Iran's position. Democrats in both the Senate and the House are in the minority.