WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s unilateral demand that the United Nations restore sanctions on Iran by invoking “snap back” provisions that were part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which President Trump withdrew from in 2018:
“This administration’s choice to completely abandon diplomacy in exchange for saber-rattling, chaos and ratcheting up sanctions will not make Americans safer and will further hamper our relations with important allies. Demanding the reinstatement of sanctions tied to an international agreement that President Trump withdrew from two years ago is nothing more than a dangerous embarrassment. Once again it is clear the President along with Secretary Pompeo have no good plan or feasible path to a better deal than the one they tore up – squandering American credibility and making our national security, and the world, more and more unstable.
“The American people support American diplomacy and have no desire to enter another catastrophic and unnecessary war in the Middle East. Yet time and time again this president has come perilously close to setting off armed conflict against Iran, needlessly risking the lives of American soldiers each time. This decision today seems designed to spark greater conflict and bring us closer to repeating the terrible errors of our past.
“The Iran nuclear agreement was a landmark diplomatic achievement that made great progress to keep our nation and allies safe, and promote global stability. Instead of building on that coalition to halt Iran’s other dangerous activities in the region, the administration has chosen political theater that makes conflict more likely—an outcome that many senior Administration officials like Secretary Pompeo have openly called for in the past. Majorities of the House and the Senate have both voted in favor of the Udall amendment to bar the use of funds for an unjustified war and a War Powers Act resolution rejecting war with Iran. It is time for this Administration to heed Congress’ Constitutional authority and reverse today’s move and their relentless march towards war with Iran.”
In 2019, Udall introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit the United States from expending funds for war with Iran without either express approval from Congress or in response to imminent attack, as required by the Constitution.
Udall also introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prohibit any war with Iran that is not authorized by Congress. A bipartisan majority of the Senate supported Udall’s amendment during consideration of the 2020 NDAA last year, but it did not clear the 60-vote threshold to advance instituted by the Republican Majority Leader. In March of this year, Congress sent a bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution – preventing any unauthorized war against Iran – to President Trump for signature, but the president vetoed the bipartisan measure. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to “declare war.”
