House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks Statement Following Administration Briefing on Iran MOU

Washington, D.C.- Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement following yesterday's briefing by Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff on the administration's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran:

"As has become a pattern with this administration, yesterday's briefing raised more questions than it answered. Rubio and Witkoff directly contradicted the written terms of the MOU and what they've previously said to other Members of Congress and the Senate. Witkoff's unfamiliarity with basic technical aspects of the agreement, and his naivety with respect to Iran's negotiating posture, continue to demonstrate why he and Jared Kushner are the wrong people to be handling one of the most complex nuclear and sanctions challenges in the world.

"To be clear: the briefers conceded that the MOU is not a final deal, but rather a cessation of hostilities while negotiations continue. But the framework Rubio and Witkoff described amounts to nothing more than a resurrection of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at best, the very deal Trump tore up to ultimately lead us into his war of choice with Iran.

"What makes this worse is Secretary Rubio's conduct on the call itself. When Democratic Members, including my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, asked substantive questions, Rubio dismissed them. That is not how a Secretary of State treats a co-equal branch of government which the American people expect to conduct oversight.

"The Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman has not held a single hearing with administration witnesses on Iran this entire Congress. That is unacceptable. I again call on the Committee Chairman to hold hearings and for Secretary Rubio to testify publicly before the Foreign Affairs Committee."