A letter led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer previews the talking points Iran hawks will use to undermine Joe Biden’s push to get the U.S. back into the Iran nuclear deal.
By Austin Ahlman, The Intercept
With expectations of a revived Iran nuclear deal growing, Iran hawks in Congress are positioning themselves to make U.S. reentry into the agreement a painful political ordeal, according to a draft letter circulating on Capitol Hill.
With President Joe Biden reportedly coming close to reviving the agreement, the letter telegraphs the opposition he could face from Congress. Such efforts would be a reprisal of the fight in 2015, when President Barack Obama worked to push through the original Iran nuclear deal and faced right-leaning pro-Israel forces in Congress — including Democrats — that tried to block it.

Led by conservative New Jersey Democrat and perennial obstructionist Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the letter lays out a policy on the nuclear deal that, rather than reviving Obama’s deal, would follow in the footsteps of President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the deal despite an international consensus that it was working to restrain Iran’s nuclear program.
“We are deeply concerned about multiple provisions that reportedly may be contained in the final language of any agreement with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” the pro-Israel Democrats wrote in the draft of the letter, which was obtained by The Intercept. “Concerningly, news accounts suggest that the agreement may suspend terrorism sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, the National Development Fund and the National Iranian Oil Company, designated by the previous administration for supporting terrorism.”
Recent Posts
I Was Fired From Emerson College For Speaking Out About Palestine, But I Refuse To Be Silent
May 21, 2025
Take Action Now Anna Feder is suing Emerson College for firing her over her Palestine activism. She says she will never stop advocating for a free…
The Path To Medicare for All
May 21, 2025
Take Action Now How can the U.S. take steps to join the rest of the developed world in adopting single-payer health care?By Dean Baker,…
(Not Quite) Tinder For New Activists: “Why Don’t We Already Have This?”
May 20, 2025
Take Action Now Many people are looking for a way to do something. They have heard that we the people — all of us — may be the last functioning…
What Could The Pentagon’s Record $1 Trillion Budget Pay For Instead?
May 20, 2025
Take Action Now President Trump is seeking a record $1 trillion budget for the Pentagon in 2026. What else could we do with that much money?By…