Remember last week when three dozen American generals signed a letter supporting President Obama and the Iran deal? Though impressive at the time, a newly published open letter has blown that coalition out of the water.

Nearly 200 retired generals and admirals sent a letter to Congress on Wednesday urging it to reject the recently brokered nuclear agreement with Iran. The signatories, which includes high-ranking officials who have worked in various presidential administrations, are against the deal because they fear it will threaten American national security.

In our judgment as former senior military officers, the agreement will not have that effect. Removing sanctions on Iran and releasing billions of dollars to its regime over the next ten years is inimical to the security of Israel and the Middle East. There is no credibility within JCPOA’s inspection process or the ability to snap back sanctions once lifted, should Iran violate the agreement. In this and other respects, the JCPOA would threaten the national security and vital interests of the United States and, therefore, should be disapproved by the Congress.

The agreement as constructed does not ‘cut off every pathway’ for Iran to acquire
nuclear weapons. To the contrary, it actually provides Iran with a legitimate path to doing that simply by abiding by the deal.

Lawmakers have until Sept. 17 to vote against the deal. Republican congressmen are unanimously against the deal, but with enough Democratic support President Obama can use a presidential veto to solidify the agreement. Obama only needs 34 votes to block a veto override.

To sway both Democratic and Republican representatives, open letters and petitions arguing for and against the deal have flooded Congress. This latest letter has the largest collection of bipartisan signatories with White House and military experience.