Twelve people gathered Downtown on Wednesday to deliver a letter to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s local office to support the Iranian nuclear deal because they "don’t want another war."
“If the only alternative to the current peace plan is war, then yes, the right answer is approving the plan,” said Joy Sabl of Point Breeze. “But the overwhelming message is that we have a lot of pressure to go to war and we are standing firm against that pressure. We’ve seen a lot of it, we recognize it for what it is and we don’t like it.”
Republicans and the Israeli government are opposed to the nuclear accord signed by the U.S., Iran and six other countries earlier this summer. The accord would keep Iran from building a nuclear bomb in exchange for billions of dollars in international sanctions relief. Those opposed to it say this agreement makes too many concessions to Iran and could enable that country to become a nuclear-armed state.
Congress is expected to vote next month on a resolution disapproving the deal, which Obama has threatened to veto. Opponents would then need two-thirds majorities in both the House and the Senate to override.
Sabl said that although it's an international matter, it hits close to home for him.
“I don’t think there’s a neighborhood in Pittsburgh that hasn’t lost somebody in the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War," she said, "and we don’t want an Iran War to go with it.”
Ebony Taylor, who organized Wednesday’s event, echoed Sabl's assertions. She feels its effects directly, she said.
“We’re using money that’s for our future well-being to fight wars," she said. "Our young people are going to be over fighting wars (and) possibly not coming home.”
Spokesman John Rizzo said Casey "continues to carefully review the agreement and appreciates hearing from constituents on this important matter."
"He has met with constituents both in favor of and opposed to the agreement, outside experts and top officials at the White House and the departments of state, treasury and energy," Rizzo said. "By next week he will have had approximately 50 meetings and briefings either by phone or in person on this issue and will announce his decision then."
The event was one of about 200 similar events nationwide organized through moveon.org.
