Retired Military Consensus Members in Stars and Stripes: Give first-step Iran deal chance to bear fruit
ASP Consensus members Lt. Gen. Norman Seip (USAF), Ret.; Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, Jr. (USA), Ret.; and BGen. Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret). published an op-ed today encouraging Congress to support the first step P5+1 agreement with Iran.
They wrote:
Strong international sanctions have succeeded in bringing Iran to the negotiating table. Now is the time to allow the diplomats to do their work. Now is not the time to enact a new round of sanctions that would push the Iranians away and sabotage the diplomatic effort.
They continued:
Considering that applying more pressure likely could have the opposite effect than intended, we believe Congress should hold off on enacting new sanctions in order to show support for a deal that prevents Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon. In the meantime, the most severe sanctions against Iran remain in place, ensuring that while Iran may have been granted a gasp of air, it is still compelled to comply.
Be sure to read the full op-ed at Stars and Stripes.
