Disciples and UCC leaders urge return to Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA)
Twenty-five national faith leaders, including Disciples and UCC leaders, released a statement on Thursday calling on President Joe Biden to pursue an expeditious return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. The statement was led by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and signed by a broad coalition of faith leaders and heads of faith-based organizations, including Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, and Jewish leaders, as well as national heads of communion for multiple Christian denominations and the president of the National Council of Churches. The Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, General Minster and President of the United Church of Christ, as well as Global Ministries’ Co-Executives the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson and the Rev. Marco Cable, were among the signatories.
“We are deeply concerned by recent news reports suggesting that negotiations between Iran and the United States on a return to the JCPOA are on the verge of collapse, heightening the risk of war and nuclear proliferation. We strongly urge the Biden administration to remain at the negotiating table and have the courage to act boldly for peace,” the statement reads.
The statement highlights the benefits of the Iran nuclear deal as a tool of nuclear nonproliferation, as a means to prevent war, and as a moral act to end the humanitarian suffering caused by broad-based sanctions. It also calls on President Biden and his administration to recognize that “progress requires negotiation and compromise, not threats and intimidation.”