Unprecedented: 131 in Congress Call for New Iran Diplomacy

The National Iranian American Council released the following statement regarding the Dent-Price letter sent by a 131 Members of Congress urging President Obama to reinvigorate Iran diplomacy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamal Abdi
Phone: 202-386-6408
Email: [email protected]

The
National Iranian American Council (NIAC) released the following statement regarding
the Dent-Price letter [PDF] sent by a 131 Members of Congress urging President Obama
to reinvigorate Iran diplomacy:

The
National Iranian American Council commends Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), Rep. David
Price (D-NC), and all of the 131 representatives who signed a bipartisan letter
encouraging President Obama to reinvigorate diplomacy with Iran.  

The magnitude of
Congressional support for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear standoff
is unprecedented. This is by far the loudest call for diplomacy with Iran to
ever come from Congress. Representatives Price and Dent deserve particular
praise for their vision and leadership.  

The
Dent-Price letter is a major signal to President Obama that he has the
political space to revitalize diplomacy with Iran, and that his administration
can put significant sanctions relief on the table in exchange for Iranian
nuclear concessions. 

The
letter is also a major signal to the government in Iran that Rouhani’s positive
words have delivered a positive response, and that positive action can
similarly beget positive action. If Iran is prepared to engage the United
States and take steps to verifiably reduce its ability to develop
nuclear weapons, there is strong support in Congress for offering proportionate
relief from sanctions. 

The
letter’s 131 signatories include 17 Republicans, 6 members of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and senior members of both Democratic and
Republican House leadership.

The
Dent-Price letter also follows on the heels of another letter to President Obama, signed by 29 former
policymakers, diplomats, military officials, and experts, which calls Rouhani’s
election ”a major potential opportunity
to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff over Iran’s nuclear
program.” 

President-elect Rouhani will be inaugurated on August 3.
 Nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five members of the UN
Security Council plus Germany) are expected to resume after Rouhani finalizes
his major national security appointments.

About NIAC

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is a nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the interests of the
Iranian-American community. NIAC’s mission is focused on promoting an
active and engaged Iranian-American community, supporting aspirations
for human rights and democracy in Iran, opposing war between the US and
Iran, and celebrating our community’s deep cultural heritage.  NIAC
accomplishes its mission by supplying the resources, knowledge and tools
to enable greater civic participation by Iranian Americans and informed
decision-making by policymakers.

For more information, please visit www.niacouncil.org.

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