American Rabbis Say: Support this Deal

340 rabbis urge Congress to support Iran deal - In a letter addressed to Members of Congress from 340 rabbis reads, “As rabbis, we support the agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran– The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We encourage the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to endorse this agreement.”

--“The Obama administration has successfully brought together the major international powers to confront Iran over its nuclear ambitions. The broad international sanctions moved Iran to enter this historic agreement. Should this agreement be rejected by the U.S. congress, those sanctions will end. There will be no new negotiations, as the other member countries are fully in favor of this agreement and have no desire to re-negotiate… We, along with many other Jewish leaders, fully support this historic nuclear accord.” Read full letter here. http://bit.ly/1gOrp4h

Tweet - @ErnestMoniz : In Lausanne, we got a better agreement than people expected. The final #IranDeal is even better. Read it here: http://bit.ly/1NCJmOj

Nonproliferation experts back Iran accord- “More than 70 of the world's leading nuclear nonproliferation specialists issued a joint statement outlining why the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ‘is a strong, long-term, and verifiable agreement that will be a net-plus for international nuclear nonproliferation efforts.’”

--“If all sides comply with and faithfully implement their multi-year obligations, the agreement will reduce the risk of a destabilizing nuclear competition in a troubled region – giving time and space to address other regional problems without fear of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons — and head off a catastrophic military conflict over Iran's nuclear program… We urge the leaders of the P5+1 states, the European Union, and Iran to take the steps necessary to ensure timely implementation and rigorous compliance with the JCPOA.” Read the full statement here. http://bit.ly/1NqsGLQ

Tweet - @ValeriePlame : Joe and I are proud to be signatories: Nuclear experts fall in behind Obama @Plough_Shares @Cirincione http://politi.co/1J0WMAm

The future of the CTBT - “The head of the body trying to secure ratification of a global ban on nuclear testing urged world leaders on Monday to use the momentum of an atomic deal with Iran to prevent a slide toward a nuclear weapons free-for-all.… Lassina Zerbo said the near two-year diplomatic marathon that agreed curbs on Iran's nuclear program, featuring all five of the U.N. Security Council's veto-wielding nuclear powers, showed what could be done with enough effort.”

--“In an interview with Reuters, [Zerbo] said the frustration of many non-nuclear weapons states had grown since [the] nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) failed to produce a joint document in May.” Zerbo said that “I think it's about time that they used a similar model of discussion like what happened in the Iran deal to reflect on the future of the CTBT… [If] after the NPT issue... we're not helping the CTBT... we might go back to a system where there's no framework for arms control and non-proliferation and disarmament. And that's a risk.” Full story here. http://reut.rs/1hlmqJm

Republicans’ alternate reality - “Republican presidential candidates, all of whom oppose the Iran nuclear deal, have created their own virtual worlds when it comes to dealing with the Tehran regime,” writes Walter Pincus. “Most say that, if elected, they would cancel the agreement, get Congress to reinstate broader U.S. sanctions and then persuade the rest of the world to participate in that aggressive approach.”

--“But the real world is different… Americans seem to ignore that other nations do far more trade with Iran and endure more economic pain themselves while imposing sanctions. [If the deal collapses], there is real doubt that all the countries participating in sanctions against Iran would continue, especially China and Russia.” Read more at The Washington Posthere.http://wapo.st/1LiO6Lw

Tweet - @mattduss: #IranDeal debate shaping up like climate debate: Vast majority of experts on one side, a lot of money on the other. http://bit.ly/1UQUPOk

Quick Hits:

--“How to Survive a Nuclear War,” by Cham Dallas for Newsweek. http://bit.ly/1LfU27U

--“Myths and realities of the Iran nuclear deal,” by Daryl G. Kimball in The Baltimore Sun. http://bsun.md/1LgQxOv

--“Behind Putin’s nuclear threats,” by Elisabeth Braw in Politico. http://politi.co/1IZgSgB

Events:

--“Iran: What Next After the Nuclear Deal,” featuring Ariane Tabatabai, Kelsey Davenport, Reza Akbari and Sam Cutler. Tuesday, August 25th from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at OpenGov Hub, 1110 Vermont Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1HRYC4B

--“International Youth Summit for Nuclear Abolition,” featuring City of Nagasaki and City of Hiroshima. Sunday, August 30th from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Webcast. Information on access here. http://bit.ly/1JVKRbd

--“Emerging Missile Defense and SMDC Requirements,” featuring Lt. Gen. David Mann, Commander U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Wednesday, September 16th from 8:00 - 9:00 AM at Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street SE, Washington, DC. RSVP here. http://conta.cc/1Iu22Qe