The Jewish Council for Public Affairs released the following statement this morning regarding President Obama’s announcement of a new agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, Russia (P5 + 1) and Iran on Iran’s nuclear program:

The threat of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons is a matter of the gravest concern and utmost urgency to the world. Now, with the completion of the accord between the P5 + 1 countries and Iran, the JCPA believes it is critical that the world stay focused on the ultimate goal: preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

We recognize the hard work the President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and Under Secretary of State Sherman have put into crafting this agreement. At the same time, we have cause to be wary. Iran has continually violated the human rights of its people, funded terrorist organizations, threatened annihilation of Israel, worked to destabilize neighboring countries in the region, supported Holocaust denial, and created a covert nuclear weapons program. It is not a country that has earned our trust. Consequently, we welcome debate on the merits of the agreement and close scrutiny by Congress. The sixty-day Congressional review window opens a critical period to examine the agreement and ensure that it has the rigorous inspection and compliance components that are necessary.

The United States, the European Union, the United Nations – particularly the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – and the broader community of nations must each work to provide the necessary resources, structures, and capabilities that are required to ensure Iran’s full compliance with an agreement. The diplomatic and economic pressures applied by these bodies in coalition were successful in bringing Iran to the table to negotiate. The same concerted effort must be used to ensure that Iran will never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.

JCPA, the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community, serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 16 national and 125 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations.