HARTFORD — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on Friday after President Trump continued to waive U.S. sanctions on Iran consistent with our obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA is the international deal that has prevented Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

“The bottom line of today's action is that even President Trump knows that the JCPOA is working and furthers our national security interests. Iran is complying with the deal, and it would be self-defeating for the United States to pull out now and be blamed for the collapse of the agreement,” said Murphy. “We continue to have many problems with Iran, but they’re all much easier to handle without the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon. I still believe this deal is the best chance the world has at making sure Iran doesn’t become a nuclear power, and I’ll continue to work to make sure it stays in place.”

In October 2017 at the Center for American Progress, Murphy gave a speech on the dangers of walking away from the Iran Deal. In August 2015, Murphy announced his support for the JCPOA, concluding that, “Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. This imperative, long a foundation of American policy in the Middle East, has been my guidepost as I have reviewed the ongoing nuclear negotiations – and now the nuclear agreement – with Iran. Because as dangerous as Iran is today, it becomes twice as threatening to the security of the United States, Israel, and the world if its regional provocations were to occur under the cover of a nuclear weapons arsenal…Because I believe that Iran is less likely to get a nuclear weapon with this agreement than without it, I will support it.