Senator Collins’ Statement on President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from the Iran Deal

Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement on President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“I have long believed that a verifiable diplomatic agreement with Iran that dismantled its nuclear infrastructure and blocked its pathways to the development of a nuclear weapon would make the world far safer.

“Unfortunately, that was not the agreement the Obama Administration negotiated in 2015, and for that reason I did not support it.

“The 2015 agreement is fundamentally flawed because it leaves Iran as capable of building a nuclear weapon at the expiration of the agreement as it was when it first went into effect.  Under the terms of the agreement, Iran merely has to be patient in order to ultimately design and develop a nuclear arsenal.  In addition, the agreement did not stop Iran from testing and developing ballistic missiles, and the inspection regime it instituted was insufficient and ignored Iran’s history of noncompliance.

“It would have been a better course of action for the United States to continue to work closely with our allies to fix the serious deficiencies in the agreement so we can achieve the original goal that was ultimately abandoned by the Obama Administration and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and the means to deliver it.

“As we move forward, the Iranian threat remains a serious national security problem in urgent need of an effective and permanent solution.  I do hope that the Trump Administration will embark on an aggressive effort, alongside our allies, to counter it through a strong, revised agreement.”