Pro-Israel groups in US expand campaign against Iran nuclear accord
The most influential pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States is expanding its campaign to pressure Congress into rejecting the recent accord over Iran’s nuclear program.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the biggest Zionist group in the US, will deploy about 300 lobbyists on Capitol Hill next week to try to convince lawmakers to vote against the nuclear agreement.
AIPAC, along with some other pro-Israel advocacy groups, will spend approximately $20 million to fund a national television advertising campaign to inform the public “about the dangers of the proposed Iran deal,” according to officials in the pro-Israel camp.
Pressure from AIPAC, which has more than 100,000 members and maintains a vast pool of donors, could worry lawmakers who are up for re-election next year.
AIPAC critics have stated it acts as an agent of the Israeli regime and has a "stranglehold" on Congress with its extensive influence and financial power.
The advocacy group has been accused of being strongly allied with the Likud party in Israel, and the Republican Party in the United States.
Senior Republican lawmakers have vowed to do their best effort to scuttle the Iran nuclear pact.
Republicans control majorities in both chambers of Congress. Many have strongly opposed the deal, which they say will threaten US ally Israel and empower Iran.
The United Nations Security Council has endorsed the agreement.
Iran and the P5+1 group of countries reached a conclusion on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on July 14 in the Austrian capital of Vienna following days of intensive talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.
US President Barack Obama insists that the Iran accord is the only alternative to more war in the Middle East.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz offered a vigorous defense of the Iran agreement as they faced tough questioning at a Senate committee hearing on Thursday.
Kerry described the JCPOA as the "only viable option" to a peaceful resolution of the issue.
"The truth is that the Vienna plan will provide a stronger, more comprehensive, more lasting means of limiting Iran's nuclear program than any alternative that has been spoken of," he said.
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