Albany, NY – With the U.S. Congress set to vote in the coming days on a proposed deal to lift international sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, a broad bipartisan coalition of New York State legislators have sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo urging the continuation of measures passed by the state in 2012 to prevent the leading terror sponsor from obtaining nuclear weapons. The letter, spearheaded by Assembly Members Nily Rozic (D - Fresh Meadows) and Phil Goldfeder (D - Far Rockaway), includes signatures from nearly thirty leading legislators from around the state.

“Since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was first proposed, I have heard concerns from constituents and want to ensure their voices are heard as Congress prepares to take up the measure,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, who is the first Israeli-born elected official in New York. “In keeping existing sanctions against Iran, we are sending a strong message that New York should not do business with Iran or its business partners.”

“New York State has been a leading voice in the implementation of sanctions against Iran and now is not the time to waiver in our resolve on this issue,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “Regardless of what happens in Washington, I urge Governor Cuomo to continue the state’s sanctions on Iran and ensure a safer future for our families.”

“As the administration moves forward with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we legislators at the state level of government have asked Governor Cuomo to exercise his constitutional authority to retain existing sanctions against Iran through state pension divestment. We have heard forcefully and continuously from the majority of our constituents that they fully believe this deal is not the correct course we should take as a nation and, as their voice in Albany, we move to ensure that we do what is within our power as state legislators to reflect their views and positions,” said Assemblyman Walter Mosley (D - Brooklyn).

“A part of the deal that I find particularly objectionable is giving a king’s ransom to a country that has funded some of the worst acts of terrorism the world has ever known,” said Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky (D - Long Beach). “I call on Governor Cuomo to exercise his constitutional authority and retain New York’s existing sanctions against Iran.”

In a joint letter sent Monday to Governor Cuomo, Assembly Members Rozic and Goldfeder called on the state to keep in place a broad set of sanctions passed in Albany in 2012 designed to prevent access to state contracts for companies doing business in Iran's nuclear energy sector. The letter included the signatures of nearly thirty Democratic and Republican legislators from across the state, in a broad bipartisan show of support for maintaining the current state-authorized sanctions.

Citing concerns with Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and state sponsorship of terrorism, the letter urges Cuomo to use the state’s “constitutional authority” to impose and maintain sanctions. The legislators tout the state’s recent efforts to impose sanctions against Iran as being crucial to efforts to obtain a better deal from Iran than the currently proposed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated between Iran, the United States and other nations.

The legislators point to the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) passed by Congress, which granted states the authority to impose sanctions in the wake of federal efforts to combat Iran’s growing nuclear and terrorist aspirations. According to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service, this law and the authority it grants New York State is unlikely to be undone by the current Iran deal.

New York State has a long history as a leader in applying pressure on Iran. The state passed the Iran Divestment Act of 2012, which requires the State Office of General Services to identify persons or entities that invest more than $20 million in goods, services or credit in the Iranian energy sector. Similar legislation was passed in relation to the SUNY system. This followed earlier efforts in 2009 by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to divest $86.2 million in state pension fund investments made by companies doing business in Iran and Sudan.