RBF President Stephen Heintz Joins Call to Engage in Diplomacy with Iran

The National Coalition to Prevent an Iranian Nuclear Weapon, which includes dozens of former top security, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and experts including RBF President Stephen Heintz, on Sunday released a statement calling on President Donald Trump to temper his administration's unilateral pressure on Iran with diplomatic engagement.

"Pulling out of the JCPOA makes achieving U.S. objectives with Iran much more difficult," the statement, issued on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly, reads. "Applying pressure and unilateral sanctions without viable diplomatic options is highly unlikely to produce the desired outcome and could lead to a more dangerous, destructive and enduring regional conflict with Iran. A more balanced strategy that couples pressure with effective diplomacy, coming not just from the U.S. but from around the world, will be necessary to achieve U.S. objectives while showing an Iran without nuclear weapons a way forward to integration into the region."

A September 23 article in Politico notes that the statement "is unusual in that it acknowledges the legitimacy of Trump’s criticisms of Iran’s overall behavior, even as it pushes the president to rethink his strategy."

In addition to Heintz, the 53 signatories to the statement include former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Ambassador and Rockefeller Brothers Fund Trustee Ryan Crocker, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and four-star Air Force General Lloyd W. Newton.

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