Massachusetts

‘Recipe for Disaster': New England Lawmakers React to Trump Withdrawing From Iran Deal

Lawmakers around New England are reacting to President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran deal on Tuesday.

"The United States does not make empty threats," Trump said in a televised speech.

Iran's government will now decide whether to stay in the 2015 pact, which was agreed between the U.S., Iran, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and the European Union, or stay with the other allies.

MASSACHUSETTS

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a series of tweets that the president's decision "breaks our word, hurts our credibility with our allies, empowers Iranian hardliners, and doesn't make us safer.

"Even the Trump administration has conceded that Iran is complying with the deal," the Democrat tweeted. "Now @realDonaldTrump has pulled out without offering any real alternative to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapon [sic]. Creating chaos and confusion isn't a strategy -- it's a recipe for disaster."

Fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Ed Markey also blasted Trump's decision to withdraw from the accords, saying the move will also encourage Iran's neighbors and rivals, such as Saudi Arabia, to begin their own nuclear programs.

"You don't burn down the house to remodel the kitchen," he said in a statement, adding, "Instead of committing to an agreement that strengthened America's position against Iran, President Trump just threw away a deal that was our roadmap forward toward engagement and peace and have again turned toward confrontation and war."

Ayanna Pressley, a Boston city councilor challenging U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano in this year's Democratic primary, called the president's decision to withdraw "irresponsible and shortsighted."

Capuano also condemned the withdrawal, calling it a "dangerous action."

"Trump appears to be making a high stakes gamble that harsher sanctions will bring around regime change," he said in a statement. "I think most people and most nations do not like to be bullied, and I think he is almost certain to fail."

Congressman Seth Moulton blasted the decision, saying it "makes the world more dangerous."

"The President has done this with no plan to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and we stand to lose significant access to intelligence to track Iran's progress," he said in a statement. "President Trump is also misleading the country by suggesting that an America-alone approach can stop Iran. Sanctions only brought Iran to the negotiating table when we imposed them with our allies."

NEW HAMPSHIRE

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen called the president's actions "reckless" in a statement condemning the withdrawal.

"President Trump is ignoring the sound guidance of his military leadership, diplomats, fellow Republicans and our nation's closest allies, all at the expense of our national security interests," she said. "This decision needlessly discards our only effective means of curtailing Iran's nuclear capabilities and emboldens hardliners in Iran to resume nuclear weapons activity."

MAINE

In a series of tweets, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin explained his support of the U.S. withdrawing from the deal.

"This deal did not go far enough in ensuring Iran would eliminate their nuclear weapons program, while at the same time lifting critical economic sanctions on the regime and guaranteeing the freeing up of billions of dollars in assets," the Republican said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree condemned the decision, saying it would signal to the world that the U.S. would not stand by its agreements and called the withdrawal "unjustified, reckless & fact-challenged."

Secretary of Defense James Mattis "testified the inspection regime is robust & the UN has certified Iran's compliance. Pres. Trump is putting his personal whims above our national security interests," she tweeted.

"While I acknowledge this deal is neither comprehensive nor perfect, it has by all accounts effectively hindered Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons in the near-term," U.S. Sen. Angus King said in a statement.

CONNECTICUT

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy did not hold back in blasting Tuesday's announcement to withdraw from the Iran deal.

"Pulling out of the Iran deal is like a soccer player deliberately kicking the ball into their own team's goal," he said in a statement. "There is nothing but downside for the U.S., especially since Trump has zero plan for what comes next. Now, it's more likely that we'll face dual nuclear crises in Iran and North Korea, and it will make it even harder to convince Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons because we just showed that we can't be trusted to live up to our end of the bargain."

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney also condemned the decision, and added he was supporting Congress "to reconstruct and strengthen the progress we have already made toward keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran's hands."

VERMONT

"Withdrawing from the #Iran nuclear agreement is a monumental mistake by the President, who is fulfilling a dangerous campaign promise that puts politics over the security of the American people and our closest allies," U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy tweeted. "It hurts to see America breaking its word."

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders also condemned Trump's decision in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon.

"Real American power is not shown by our ability to blow things up, but by our ability to forge international consensus around shared problems. That is what the Iran agreement did," he said. "Today President Trump put us on a very different, more dangerous path."

RHODE ISLAND

Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called Trump's decision "reckless" and "reflexive," adding that it harms the U.S.' efforts to end Iran's support for terrorism and ballistic missile program, in addition to its nuclear program.

"This is a reckless decision," U.S. Rep. David Cecilline said. "It's a decision that endangers our security and makes it harder for other countries to take us at our word."

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