Dear Editor:

The American Jewish Congress applauds President Trump’s announcement that the US will abandon the undesirable Iran nuclear deal.

The status quo has clearly and demonstrably failed and Iran has so far refused to commit to renegotiating a bad deal that will allow it to pursue a nuclear program within 15 years.

Iran has for too long showed itself to be a bad actor in this process, as demonstrated by the discovery of the secret cache of files by Israel last week.

The previous administration hoped that by signing a deeply flawed agreement and waiving crippling economic sanctions, it could bring Iran in from the cold and bring stability to the wider region.

The US has now no option but to resort to stronger action to contain the regime’s nuclear ambitions, which have a destabilizing influence on the Middle East and beyond.

The American Jewish Congress now calls on the international community to unite behind America’s lead in a coordinated effort to definitively halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions and to bring stability to the wider region.

Jack Rosen, President 

American Jewish Congress