Urges Multilateral Action in Response to Iran’s Nuclear Program
Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and USA*Engage today commended the response of the United States and our European allies to the threat posed by Iran’s resumption of its nuclear program.
“It is tremendously important for the United States and all of our allies to take a firm and unified stand against a nuclear Iran,” said USA*Engage Director Jake Colvin. “We applaud the efforts of the United States, together with Britain, France and Germany, to refer this matter to the United Nations Security Council.”
USA*Engage continues to advocate for a multilateral solution to the current impasse, and urges all UN Security Council Members to establish an appropriate response to Iran.
While encouraged by current multilateral efforts, USA*Engage Co-Chair and NFTC President William A. Reinsch cautioned that unilateral moves by the United States would not help the situation. “Time and time again we have seen that unilateral economic sanctions by the United States do not work,” Reinsch said. “Unilateral measures – including some bills pending in the U.S. Congress – would harm relations with our allies without achieving the results we all desire.”
USA*Engage opposes legislation pending in Congress that would severely restrict the Administration’s flexibility to conduct foreign policy with respect to Iran. The organization has urged the Administration and Congress to redouble its efforts to achieve a multilateral resolution.
USA*Engage (www.usaengage.org) is a broad-based coalition representing Americans from all regions, sectors and segments of our society concerned about the proliferation of unilateral economic sanctions at the federal, state, and local level. Established in 1997, USA*Engage leads a campaign to inform policy-makers, opinion-leaders, and the public about the counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions, the importance of exports and overseas investment for American competitiveness and jobs, and the role of American companies in promoting human rights and democracy world wide. USA*Engage promotes responsible alternatives to unilateral sanctions that advance U.S. humanitarian and foreign policy goals, such as intensified U.S. diplomacy and multilateral cooperation.
