Support nuclear agreement with Iran

To the editor:

Iran has come to an interim agreement with the U.S. and five other countries to dramatically reduce its nuclear program and to allow more intensive international inspections. A final agreement is to be complete by June 30.

Congress will soon be debating its role in this matter. Iowa's senators Grassley and Ernst have, up to this point, expressed not only skepticism about a potential agreement, but have attempted to derail it. They will have another opportunity to weigh in on it, both in the upcoming debates and in the congressional review of the agreement after June 30.

This will be an opportunity for them to get on the right side of history, by supporting an agreement than ensures that Iran will not have the ability to build a nuclear weapon. (Despite the senators' claims to the contrary, U.S. intelligence agencies have affirmed multiple times in the last decade that there is no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapon program).

The alternative to an agreement will be more sanctions, more distrust and isolation, enhanced conditions for another war. In January 1991, Sen. Chuck Grassley voted against the first Gulf War. He was one of only two Republican senators to vote against the Republican president's request, and it took courage and common sense to do it. Now is the time to ask that he exercise that courage and common sense again and support this historic agreement. His actions would also hopefully have a profound effect on the junior senator from Iowa.

Ed Flaherty

Iowa City