RELEASE: Gottheimer, Bacon Lead Bipartisan Letter Demanding Zero Nuclear Enrichment for Iran Following Israeli Strikes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, June 13, 2025, U.S. Congressmen Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Don Bacon (NE-2) led a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump demanding that any nuclear deal with Iran must not allow for uranium enrichment and must ensure there is no pathway to a nuclear weapon. In the letter, the Members expressed concern that Iran is misleading negotiators and slow walking negotiations to derail any meaningful progress.

The bipartisan letter comes after Israel launched a major military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, missile bases, and senior leadership. 

“There is no such thing as peaceful uranium enrichment when it involves Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. The strikes on Iranian enrichment facilities — as well as on missile factories and command centers — were carried out in response to what Israeli officials called an imminent threat. The Israeli military assessed that Iran has already enriched enough uranium for multiple nuclear weapons. Just yesterday, the IAEA confirmed that Iran has violated its nonproliferation obligations for decades. The world can no longer afford the illusion of time,” the Members wrote in a letter to President Trump. 

“The United States must maintain a position of absolute clarity: zero enrichment, zero pathway to a nuclear weapon. Any framework that deviates from this standard will face strong bipartisan opposition in Congress,” the Members continued.

The full list of Members who signed the letter includes: Reps. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Don Bacon (NE-2), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Greg Landsman (OH-1), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Brad Sherman (CA-32), and Darren Soto (FL-9). 

Full text of the letter sent to President Trump can be found here and below:

Dear President Trump:

We write with a renewed sense of urgency as Israel conducts a major military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, missile bases, and senior leadership. This decisive action comes after two months of unsuccessful diplomacy and represents a critical chance to stop the Iranian regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear arms, combined with its long record of fueling violence through terrorist proxies, has brought this moment upon itself.

The Iranian regime has spent decades deceiving the international community and using diplomacy as a delay tactic while building the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Now, with Iran under direct military assault and the world focused, the United States has an opportunity to bring an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions by ensuring their complete dismantlement in negotiations.

There is no such thing as peaceful uranium enrichment when it involves Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. The strikes on Iranian enrichment facilities — as well as on missile factories and command centers — were carried out in response to what Israeli officials called an imminent threat. The Israeli military assessed that Iran has already enriched enough uranium for multiple nuclear weapons. Just yesterday, the IAEA confirmed that Iran has violated its nonproliferation obligations for decades. The world can no longer afford the illusion of time.

Iran’s malign behavior goes beyond its nuclear program. Iran was fundamental in supporting Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, an unprovoked massacre of more than a thousand people and the kidnapping of 251, including 12 Americans, into Gazan tunnels. Iran also continues to sponsor Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in the war that has followed. Last year, Iran launched two unprecedented strikes on Israel, deploying hundreds of drones and missiles targeting Israeli territory. Iran also supplied and directed proxy groups in Iraq and Syria who have conducted attacks on U.S. bases in the aftermath of October 7, including killing three U.S. soldiers in January 2024. Not to mention the Iranian regime has plotted assassinations on American soil, hiring hitmen to target Americans, including yourself.

Against this backdrop, we are deeply concerned by Iran’s continued use of stalling tactics to delay sanctions snapbacks and rebuild its nuclear capabilities under the guise of negotiations. The two-month deadline set by your administration has passed, and it is time Iran makes a decision — make meaningful concessions or face crushing diplomatic pressure in addition to Israel’s military pressure. We urge you to begin working with our European partners to invoke the sanctions snapback mechanism under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 by July — ensuring we do not miss the critical October deadline to reimpose comprehensive sanctions on Iran’s weapons program.

The United States must maintain a position of absolute clarity: zero enrichment, zero pathway to a nuclear weapon. Any framework that deviates from this standard will face strong bipartisan opposition in Congress. 

Iran is paying the price for decades of destabilizing behavior as the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. We ask that you demand the full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program and an end to its sponsorship of global terrorism. The regime in Iran has learned that defiance invites consequences. It responds only when met with resolve.

Sincerely,

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

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