Influential National Security Professionals Warn That Iran ‘Framework Agreement’ Imperils the Common Defense

Washington, DC—  In the wake of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s vote Tuesday to subject any nuclear deal with Iran to congressional review, 33 former senior military officers, government officials and other national security professionals urged that the so-called “framework agreement,” and whatever accord might ensue from it, be rejected by the Congress.

In particular, the signatories warned about the terms laid out in U.S. depictions of the framework’s guidelines – to say nothing of those to which the Iranians actually agree.

We believe the purported framework agreement can only be the basis for a bad nuclear deal with Iran – one that will: allow it to continue its nuclear weapons program; be incapable of verifying covert and weapons-related activities; and offer Iran unwarranted and effectively irreversible sanctions relief.  Any agreement with Iran based on such a defective foundation will ensure the realization of Iran’s longstanding nuclear ambitions, further destabilize the Middle East and seriously undermine Western efforts to prevent further nuclear proliferation.

Among the signatories of the letter are:

Hon. Pete Hoekstra, Former Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Admiral James A. Lyons, USN (Ret.), Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, USA (Ret.), Former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Hon. Paula DeSutter, former Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance
Lt. General Bennett L. Lewis, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Jack David, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., President of the Center for Security Policy and a signatory to the letter, stated:

“Congress has rightly become alarmed about the nature, contents and implications of what is deceptively described as a ‘framework agreement’ with Iran.  Competent national security professionals, like the signatories of this letter, recognize a harsh reality:  The present approach will allow nuclear weapons to be acquired by what is arguably the most dangerous regime on the planet – one that is sworn to destroy the United States and wipe its ally, Israel, off the map.  The potential for disaster are so enormous that the legislative branch must act decisively to prevent the bad deal now in prospect.”

The full text of the letter, with signatures, can be found below.

An Open Letter to the Leaders of the U.S. House and Senate