Dear A.,

In a powerful and unified message to President Trump, an overwhelming majority of congressional Republicans sent letters to the president calling for Iran to completely dismantle its nuclear program. 

The nearly identical letters were signed by 52 Republican Senators (every Republican senator except for Rand Paul) and 177 Republican House members (80% of the House Republican caucus), and were led by Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX).

You can read the Senate letter here, and the nearly identical House letter here.

You can also read a Jewish Insider article on the letters — headlined "Most congressional Republicans insist on no enrichment for Iran" — by clicking here. 

"We write to express our strong support for your efforts to secure a deal with Iran that dismantles its nuclear program, and to reinforce the explicit warnings that you and officials in your administration have issued that the regime must permanently give up any capacity for enrichment," both letters declare.

98% of Senate Republicans and 80% of House Republicans added, "The Iranian regime should know that the administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is [permanently eliminated]."

ACTION NEEDED:
Click here to email your members of Congress to thank those who signed these letters and urge all members to continue to demand Iran's nuclear program be dismantled.

Meanwhile, while in Saudi Arabia yesterday, President Trump said, "The choice is [Iran's] to make. We really want them to be a successful country. We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose, right now. We don't have a lot of time to wait."

And today, Trump added that as part of a deal with Iran, the regime "must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars, and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons."

The United States must continue to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime coupled with a credible threat of military force to facilitate time-bound negotiations to verifiably and permanently dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump meets new Syrian leader, raises Israel normalization

As President Trump continues his trip to the region, he met today in Saudi Arabia with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the overthrow of the Assad regime — the first meeting between presidents of the U.S. and Syria in 25 years.

Trump said he would lift U.S. sanctions on the country.

Trump also reportedly encouraged Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel, and asked him remove "all foreign terrorists" from Syria and help to fight ISIS.

Meanwhile, after arriving in Turkey to assess the situation in Syria, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said:

"I am very inclined to support sanctions relief for Syria under the right conditions. However, we must remember that the current leadership in Syria achieved its position through force of arms, not through the will of its people...

"Currently, Syria is also listed as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law... The designation of Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism has tremendous ramifications apart from the sanctions. I am certain that Congress would need to be informed of changes in conditions placed on Syria and how they have met those conditions before Congress can make an informed decision on whether or not it should approve the change in designation...

"Waiving congressionally-passed sanctions is a complicated process. While I would like to empower the new players in Syria, it has to be done in a coordinated fashion with our allies – especially our friends in Israel – so that numerous security concerns can be addressed. Over the past decades, locations in Syria have been used to attack Israel."

The United States must continue to stand with Israel and ensure Syria is no longer used as a front to launch attacks against the Jewish state.

Continued attacks from West Bank, Yemen and Gaza

This evening, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire at Israelis, seriously injuring a man and a woman in their 30s. The woman is  reportedly in the late stages of pregnancy and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Also today, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launched a ballistic missile at Israel — the third such attack in 24 hours. Fortunately, the missile was intercepted.

Following the attack, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen: "Due to the Houthi regime’s use of the sea ports for terrorist activity, we call on everyone in those ports to evacuate and distance themselves—until further notice."

Last night, Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza launched three rockets at Israel. Two were intercepted by Israel's air defense systems and the third fell in an open field.

New reporting in The Free Press: "How Qatar Bought America"

New investigative reporting in The Free Press explores how Qatar established itself as a major force in Washington and global politics.

 
While Qatar is often portrayed as "a top American ally, a trustworthy partner, and a key hub of international commerce," the country is also "a seat of the Muslim Brotherhood, a crucial source of financing to Hamas, a diplomatic and energy partner of Iran, a refuge for the Taliban's exiled political leadership, financier and cheerleader of Palestinian terrorism, and the chief
propagandist of Islamism through its media powerhouse, Al Jazeera, which reaches 430 million people in more than 150 countries," article states.

The reporters found that "no obstacle, no history, no bad
headline is too big for Qatar's money" and that it "spent almost $100 billion to establish its legitimacy in Congress, American colleges and universities, U.S. newsrooms, think tanks, and corporations."

Since 2017, Qatar has spent $225 million on lobbying and public-relations efforts in Washington, and engaged in various tactics to influence members of Congress, media outlets, and key figures in D.C.

All the while, Qatar has been a key sponsor of Hamas and other terror groups and spread anti-American, antisemitic propaganda throughout the world through its Al Jazeera media network.

"At a moment when so many political leaders, pundits, and ordinary Americans are reaching for explanations of—or entertaining conspiracies about—who really pulls the strings in Washington and beyond, many of them are ignoring a story in plain sight," the article concludes.

Read the full piece here.

Continue to follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.

Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications