June 5, 2024 — New York, NY
For years and with impunity, the Iranian regime has egregiously violated international agreements restricting its nuclear program. Today’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors vote to censure the Islamic Republic of Iran for its failure to comply with inspections and lack of cooperation with the agency is a welcome step to hold the regime accountable.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) continues to be profoundly concerned by Iran’s march toward nuclear weapons capability and over the last week spoke with officials of numerous member countries of the IAEA Board of Governors urging their governments to censure Iran during these proceedings.
Through its vast terror network, Iran has sowed death and destruction around the world for decades, including stepped-up military cooperation with Russia in Moscow’s brutal war in Ukraine. In April, the world witnessed what happens when Iran’s malign actions go unchecked — as it launched an unprecedented missile attack against Israel.
“The world cannot allow the Iranian regime to become an even greater threat to global peace and security,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “To push back against the Iranian threat, the global community needs to come together, as the IAEA did today, and take additional action — including snapback sanctions and designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror organization.”
Iran’s escalating uranium enrichment and other nuclear-related activities, in violation of the limits set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, reveal the regime’s intentions to develop nuclear weapons. Since April 2021, Iran has been enriching its uranium stockpiles to 60 percent, just below weapons grade, which, according to experts, has put Iran in a position to produce enough material to fuel several nuclear bombs.
Beyond this week’s meeting, AJC continues to advocate with world powers — particularly the United States — to take additional measures to curb the Iranian threat. In its pursuit of regional hegemony, Iran has for years destabilized the region. The current war in Gaza, the serious escalation along Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria, and the attacks perpetrated by the Houthis against commercial navigation in the Red Sea all bear the unmistakable fingerprints of Iran — the primary source of tension and terrorism in the region.
The world must send a strong message to the Iranian regime that its behavior will no longer be tolerated and that Europeans and Americans are united in their will to confront it. To those who are afraid of Iran escalating in response to sanctions, the answer should be that Iran has been escalating for a long time, and trying not to escalate only leads to escalation by the enemy on its terms. Only firmness, consistency, and unity will prevent the regime from pursuing regional hegemony, and Russia, North Korea, and China from strengthening their ties with Iran and further weakening the West and its allies.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org
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