New Plan will help rally international consensus against Iran’s nuclear program

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the founder of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, today praised the decision by President Obama to dramatically shift U.S. plans for ballistic missile defenses in Europe.  Instead of continuing with the Bush Administration’s ill-advised plan for long-range interceptor missiles--designed to destroy long-range Iranian missiles which still do not exist--President Obama’s plan will focus on defending against short-and medium-range missiles, which Iran has had success developing.

“President Obama’s decision to scrap the Bush Administration’s unproven missile defenses in Europe is a win-win-win: it will improve the security of the U.S. and our allies, help us achieve international consensus on tougher sanctions for Iran’s nuclear program, and redirects precious defense dollars to a proven system instead of a failed one,” said Markey. “By recognizing that the Bush Administration’s missile defense plan was based on faulty science and a series of embarrassing failed tests, the new plan allows us to stop throwing good money after bad.”

 “By focusing on the real threat, Iranian short- and medium-range missiles, instead of long-range missiles that do not exist, President Obama’s new plan will improve the defenses of our allies in the region.  By removing a major irritant in U.S.-Russian relations, this shift makes it more likely that we can secure Russia’s support to get tough on Iran’s nuclear program.”

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