Today's letters: differing opinions on the Iran deal
I'm deeply concerned to hear that Sen. Booker (D-NJ) may be considering voting in favor of the Iran nuclear deal currently before Congress. President Obama and supporters of the deal have suggested that the only alternative is war, but that is false. The alternative is actually a better deal.
Iran has a long track record of deception with respect to its nuclear facilities and cannot be trusted to uphold its end of the deal. In fact, seven of Iran's eight major nuclear facilities were secretly constructed and only found after numerous attempts to hide them.
We might have been able to catch their cheating with "anytime, anywhere" inspections but now Iran gets a considerable amount of time before inspectors would arrive to undeclared nuclear sites, showing how problematic the nuclear facility inspections are in this deal.
Supporting this deal will also allow billions of dollars into the country, financing all kinds of state-sponsored terrorism in the region. U.S. troops have even been the target of Iranian militias, a disturbing fact left unaddressed in this deal.
Lawmakers have a crucial decision to make and they should vote no - and push for a better deal.
Paula Joffe
Princeton
After more than 13 years at war, I'm glad that Congress is turning toward diplomacy and peace. The Iran deal looks like it will move forward through Congress, and I support the 34+ senators who have spoken out in favor of the deal.
The Iran deal dramatically shrinks Iran's nuclear program, gives international inspectors unprecedented access, and could open diplomatic channels for the U.S. and others to finally end enduring conflicts in the region.
Many of our top scientists, including six Nobel Laureates, have praised the deal as "innovative" and "stringent," further suggesting that it can serve as a model for future nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
Now is the time for peace. Now is the time for diplomacy. Now is the time for Congress to support the Iran deal.
Timothy Stoltzfus-Dueck
Princeton
Rich Cuccagna may be reached at rcuccagna@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichCuccagna. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.