Wasserman Schultz Statement on Negotiations to End Iranian Nuclear Threat

Washington, May 9, 2025
"In his first term, President Trump recklessly withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) without a replacement, or even a concept of a plan of how he would secure a more favorable deal. Now, as he attempts to negotiate an end to the Iranian nuclear threat, I am deeply concerned by Trump’s own contradictory statements indicating that he would accept some level of uranium enrichment, allow Iran to maintain a stockpile of nuclear material in the country, or ignore Iran’s rampant sponsorship of global terrorism.

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s negotiations over Iran’s nuclear capabilities:

"In his first term, President Trump recklessly withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) without a replacement, or even a concept of a plan of how he would secure a more favorable deal. Now, as he attempts to negotiate an end to the Iranian nuclear threat, I am deeply concerned by Trump’s own contradictory statements indicating that he would accept some level of uranium enrichment, allow Iran to maintain a stockpile of nuclear material in the country, or ignore Iran’s rampant sponsorship of global terrorism. 

"President Biden left Iran at its weakest point in decades. If President Trump truly intends to negotiate a better deal than the JCPOA, there has never been a better opportunity to do so from a position of strength—so long as the terms of the deal ensure our security and that of our regional allies.

"Any acceptable agreement with the Iranian regime must at minimum:

  • Ensure that Iran is never permitted to, or capable of, producing a nuclear weapon
  • Prohibit enrichment or storage of uranium in Iran, or elsewhere on behalf of Iran
  • Require Iran to end its support for terrorism and regional proxies including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Yemeni Houthis 
  • Provide for supervised inspection, dismantling, and removal of all Iranian nuclear material and production facilities

"These conditions must be subject to continuous U.S., European, and international monitoring with zero-trust verification and accompanied with public reporting. No sanctions relief should be granted to the Iranian regime until this dismantling process is underway and verified.

"Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and promised a superior option. Anything less than the standards laid out here simply means that his negligence is responsible for putting the terrorist state of Iran eight years closer to a nuclear weapon."