AIPAC joins war on Iran-P5+1 nuclear conclusion

The most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States has thrown its weight behind a multi-million-dollar campaign to oppose the nuclear conclusion reached between Iran and world powers.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has started supporting a new political group, called “Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran,” which launched the campaign on Friday, The Associated Press reported.

The group’s spokesman Patrick Dorton told The New York Times that it seeks to inform the public “about the {alleged} dangers of the proposed Iran deal.”

Dorton said on Friday that the group is launching a national TV and digital advertisement campaign in many media markets around the country.

Following marathon talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Tuesday, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries - the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – finalized the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which will put limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Dorton alleged, “Democrats should be especially concerned because the deal increases the chances of war, will spur a nuclear arms race and rewards” Iran.

However, following the successful nuclear talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said there existed the possibility for the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 to address “common challenges,” including the ISIL Takfiri threat in the region.

The group’s efforts come as liberal groups, such as the Jewish Middle East lobby, known as J Street, are buying national ads to shore up congressional support for the deal.

A vote in the US Congress is expected after the August recess. AIPAC has called on the Capitol Hill to reject the nuclear conclusion.

"Unfortunately, this proposed agreement fails to halt Iran's nuclear quest," it said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Instead, it would facilitate rather than prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," it added.

This comes as all Iran's nuclear activities are under the direct supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Agency has in its numerous reports said on Iran's nuclear program that there has been no deviation towards militarism. 

US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he would veto any legislation from lawmakers that "prevents the successful implementation of the deal."

He has defended the conclusion of the nuclear negotiations, saying the opportunity of concluding the talks "may not come again in our lifetime" and expressed hope that the evaluation of the development by Congress should be "based on the facts, not on politics."

Following the conclusion of the talks, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei thanked the Iranian nuclear negotiating team for their hard work throughout the negotiation process, saying the conclusion of nuclear negotiations constitutes “an important step.”

Over the course of the talks, the Leader lent the Iranian negotiators his support, saying on one occasion, “Although, I was not optimistic about negotiating with the US, I did not oppose these ad hoc negotiations. I approved of them. I also wholeheartedly supported the [Iranian] negotiators. I support them now likewise. Everyone should know that I fully support reaching an agreement, which respects the interests of the Iranian nation and preserves its dignity.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also hailed Iran’s diplomatic victory in the nuclear talks with the P5+1, saying such a victory was achieved when big powers realized that they are not able to hinder the Islamic Republic’s progress in the area of nuclear science and technology.

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