Tag Archives: Senate

01.30.14
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Important Takeaway Notes from Congressional Events on Iran This Week

This week I covered the House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Iran as well as a Senate Briefing on the Iranian Nuclear Deal. Here’s some important quotes and points from all of the distinguished panels. 

Representative Ros-Lehtinen: 

  • The two month delay in reaching the interim nuclear deal was calculated and planned by Iran to buy time. 

Representative Royce:

  • Stoning is still going on inside Iran for capital offences, so for a country that is stoning with one hand, they shouldn’t have nuclear capabilities in the other.
  • EVEN IF Iran dismantled 80% of their centrifuges, Fordow, and their light water reactor, Iran would STILL be 6 months away from nuclear breakout

Representative Poe:

  • We cannot plan to turn sanctions on and off like a light switch, it doesn’t work like that.
  • The Supreme Leader of Iran has NOT changed his ultimate goal, he still wants to see the end of Israel and the US.
  • “Iran is the mischief maker of the Middle East.” They’re sending rockets to Hezbollah, they’re responsible for attacks on Camp Ashraf, and they’re expanding their ICBM and war capabilities. Why would we believe they’re going to cut back? 

Representative Higgins;

  • Rouhani couldn’t have won without Khamenei’s approval and the US is currently getting played by the leaders of Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

Mike Wallace, United Against a Nuclear Iran:

  • Sectarian tensions will be more volatile, or even worse, nuclearly volatile if Iran gets nukes.
  • Iran’s role in Syria is also being completely left out of the talks too. 

Gregory Jones, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center:

  • The biggest problem in the nuclear deal is that they can retain their centrifuge enrichment. Additionally the sunset clause is a huge issue that once the agreed-upon time period is complete, the Iranian nuclear program will be treated the same as any other non-nuclear weapon state party.
  • They can also import centrifuges, they’re not only making them themselves.
  • The Joint Plan of Action (JPA) is setting the stage for further enrichment.
  • When it comes to a nuclear-capable Iran, there are NO good options. Strikes will lead to war, so instead the NPT system needs to be strengthened, i.e. more disclosure from IAEA. 

David Albright, ISIS:

  • The real challenge comes in negotiating the long term agreement, as the interim deal is a “confidence-building measure.”
  • There must be a comprehensive deal with more verification and transparency, i.e. will they let the IAEA into Parchin?
    • Iran has been “very resistant to verification”
  • The IAEA has been denied access to Parchin for 18 MONTHS. Iran also needs to allow follow-ups, not just one time visits where Iran can manipulate the findings. There have been cases where inspections have worked, like Libya and South Africa and Iran needs to follow this path.

Ambassador Marc Ginsberg:

  • “Maliki has tied his wagons tightly to the mullahs of Iran”

Ambassador Robert Joseph:

  • The US must avoid “endless” negotiations and turn the “desperation of an illegitimate regime into leverage”.
  • Recommended that the US should “support the opposition” and stand for human rights. 
  • Iran is using nuclear technology to reach out to other countries, especially in South America (i.e. Bolivia).
  • Sanctions go beyond the economy, they threaten legitimacy. We are where we are because of sanctions.