Congressman Sherman on Iran Nuclear Deal

Washington DC – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement 

“As the negotiators enter the final days in their attempts to reach a comprehensive deal on Iran’s nuclear program, the Administration must be very tough in order to be successful in bringing home an acceptable deal.  At a minimum the Lausanne framework, at least as it was described by the Obama Administration, must be reflected in the final agreement.  Any ambiguities and gaps in that framework must be resolved in favor of tougher controls.

“Iran must agree to allow snap inspections at any suspected site, not just those sites currently known or declared, and Tehran must provide an accounting of past work on nuclear weapons.  Sanctions relief should only be granted after the Iranians have demonstrated compliance and should be limited:  the floodgates for investment in Iran should not be opened.  Therefore, the Iran Sanctions Act should not be suspended.

“Many of our statutes, including the Iran Sanctions Act, which provides for sanctions against firms that invest in Iran’s energy sector, are not limited to, or even primarily focused on, Iran’s nuclear program (see sections 2 and 3 of the Act, PL-104-172, which set out the rationale for the law).  The Iran Sanctions Act was enacted in 1996 to combat Iranian terrorism, missile development, and the development of other “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” things well outside the scope of these talks.

“A comprehensive agreement, even if it is a better-than-expected agreement, does not end our problem with Iran’s nuclear program, to say nothing of Iran’s other nefarious activities.  An agreement with Iran will only buy us time. We will need both constant focus on enforcement, as well as continued efforts to stop Iran’s support for terrorism and its efforts to undermine allies and friendly countries in the Middle East.

“If the deal does not provide fully adequate safeguards for decades to come, then Congress must make sure that it is not binding on future Congresses and future Administrations.”

-30-