BALTIMORE – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today joined Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels and more than 50 students for a conversation on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program currently being reviewed by Congress. Senator Cardin, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has examined the JCPOA carefully, consulted numerous experts and is seeking out the perspectives of a diverse range of Marylanders as he considers whether he will vote to approve the agreement. 

“Our young people have the most at stake when we consider questions of long-term global stability, so this opportunity to test my thinking on the JCPOA with students is an integral part of my decision-making process,” said Senator Cardin. “Maryland’s universities draw some of the sharpest minds in the world, and I appreciated learning more about their views on the world.”

“There is no trust when it comes to Iran, and it is in our – and the world’s – security interest to ensure that Iran is blocked from ever having a nuclear weapon,” said Senator Cardin. “Congress presently faces a solemn charge to fulfill its oversight responsibilities and to conduct a thorough and rigorous review of the JCPOA. Each member of Congress must make a personal and very individual decision on whether he or she believes the agreement will keep Iran from becoming a nuclear weapon state and further the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. Today’s discussion with students at Johns Hopkins University represented an important part of my deliberations.”

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