New York, NY — Betsy Berns Korn, Chair, and William C. Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is closely monitoring the recently announced US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the negotiations regarding a possible final agreement.
The MOU comes after a period of unprecedented strategic and military cooperation between the United States and Israel that significantly degraded Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. We commend President Trump’s leadership in advancing this cooperation and his commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The American-Israeli partnership helped create the current strategic landscape and will remain essential as the United States, Israel, and their regional partners address the challenges that lie ahead.
The Conference of Presidents supports policies that prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, address the threats posed by its anti-American activities, ballistic missile and drone programs, and its network of terrorist proxies that seek to undermine regional stability, and enhance the security of the United States, Israel, our Gulf partners, and other American allies.
Key issues remain unresolved. The MOU establishes a 60-day negotiating period during which the parties will continue discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear program, regional stability, and the contours of any final agreement. Iran’s long history of non-compliance with its international obligations, together with ongoing events in the region, will affect the course of those negotiations.
Ultimately, the significance of these negotiations will depend not only on whether they produce an agreement, but on several factors: the terms of any agreement that emerges, how the parties implement and enforce it, how they respond when it faces inevitable tests, whether its provisions are sufficient in light of Iran’s history of non-compliance and deception, and whether it preserves and builds upon the strategic gains achieved during the conflict.
In that environment, careful oversight, informed analysis, and continued close consultation with Israel and key regional partners will be essential. As Congress reviews the MOU and the administration negotiates any final agreement, several questions warrant particular attention:
- What enhanced verification and inspection mechanisms will ensure that Iran cannot secretly reconstitute its nuclear program or divert nuclear materials to prohibited activities?
- Which economic benefits take effect immediately, which depend upon future Iranian actions, what benchmarks must Iran satisfy to retain those benefits, and what consequences will follow if Iran fails to comply?
- What safeguards will ensure that sanctions relief, asset releases, reconstruction assistance, and other economic benefits are conditioned upon verifiable Iranian compliance, and prevent those resources from strengthening the IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, or other Iranian-backed terrorist organizations?
- How will the agreement address Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs, which remain among the regime’s most significant tools for directly threatening regional stability, Israel, our Gulf partners, Europe, and other American allies?
- How does the agreement affect the ability of the United States, Israel, and our Gulf partners to deter and respond to future threats posed by Iran and its proxies, and does it preserve Israel’s freedom of action and ability to defend itself against those threats throughout the region, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon?
The stakes are high. The facts are still emerging, and the region remains in flux. The Conference of Presidents will continue to engage policymakers and experts to seek greater clarity regarding the MOU and any agreement that may emerge, encourage rigorous scrutiny of its provisions and implementation, and advance the shared objective of verification, enforcement, regional security, the durable prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran, and a more peaceful future for the people of the region, including the people of Iran.
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The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is the recognized central coordinating body representing 50 national Jewish organizations on issues of national and international concern. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions of all member organizations.
