Letter from Hundreds of American Rabbis Opposing the Nuclear Agreement

Hundreds of American rabbis from all major streams of Judaism have signed a letter addressed to members of the United States Congress, urging them to oppose the Vienna nuclear agreement. According to a report on Tuesday, August 25, by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the number of signatories has exceeded 840 and is expected to reach a thousand. The signatories of this letter emphasize that the Vienna nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers harms the short-term and long-term interests of the United States and its allies, especially Israel. They also criticize key points of the nuclear agreement, including the lifting of weapon sanctions and the possibility of Iran accessing billions of dollars that have been blocked due to sanctions. They argue that Iran will gain access to these billions without a comprehensive inspection mechanism in place. Meanwhile, the Obama administration has consistently defended the proposed inspection mechanism for Iran's nuclear facilities, asserting that with this agreement, Iran will not be able to acquire nuclear weapons and Israel will be safer. However, the signatories of this letter believe that the U.S. should act better and that the Vienna nuclear agreement is not a good deal. This letter has been published on the Care2 petition website since mid-August and will remain open for signatures until September 6. Previously, 340 Jewish religious leaders had sent another letter to the U.S. Congress urging its members to support the 'historic agreement' reached regarding Iran's nuclear program. This group of Jewish rabbis, in a letter published on August 17, reminded Congress of their 'full support' and that of 'many other Jewish leaders' regarding the nuclear agreement with Tehran, expressing deep concern about the implications of the assumption that the leadership of the American Jewish community opposes the reached nuclear agreement. The U.S. Congress has until September 17 to announce its vote on the Vienna nuclear agreement, and Barack Obama has warned that he will veto any potential negative vote from Congress.