WASHINGTON (JTA) — Arizona’s first Jewish congresswoman will join a bipartisan working group on Iran.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) accepted the invitation Aug. 5 to join the group, which will meet regularly with officials to oversee the implementation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. Giffords co-sponsored the sanctions bill.
"As long as the government of Iran is committed to developing nuclear weapons, it is essential that tough economic sanctions are in place," Giffords said in a statement. "Iran’s leaders need to know that we will not tolerate threats to regional or global stability."
The group was organized by Reps. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), ranking member of the committee. Giffords has been a member of the committee since taking office in 2007.
Giffords’ first bill to become law was the Stop Arming Iran Act, which prohibited the U.S. from selling F-14 aircraft parts to Iran.
