[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 131 (Friday, September 11, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1261-E1262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             APPROVAL OF JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2015

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, today I stand in proud support of the 
international agreement reached by the P5+1 nations (France, Germany, 
the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and the United States) that is aimed 
at preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state. Preventing a 
nuclear arms race in the Middle East is essential to the security of 
the U.S., Israel, and the larger international community. It is why the 
U.S. led negotiations on this agreement and why this agreement has the 
unanimous support of the U.N. Security Council, over 90 nations, our 
Gulf state allies, and the world's largest powers.
  Under this agreement, Iran has committed to obligations that go far 
beyond the requirements of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The 
agreement will block every pathway to a bomb for at least 15 years. It 
will require Iran to eliminate 97 percent of its stockpile of enriched 
uranium, remove two-thirds of its installed centrifuges that enrich 
uranium as well

[[Page E1262]]

as remove all the pipework and infrastructure that connects the 
centrifuges, and terminate the use of its advanced centrifuges to 
produce enriched uranium. Iran will be required to fill the core of the 
heavy water Arak reactor with concrete and repurpose it for peaceful 
purposes. Additionally the deal directs Iran to ship all spent fuel 
from the reactor out of the country, and prohibits Iran from building 
any new heavy water reactors. Experts say that these steps are not 
easily reversible and it would take Iran anywhere from 2 to 5 years to 
rebuild that infrastructure. Efforts to rebuild it would be detected 
within a few days.
  Under the agreement, Iran's uranium and plutonium manufacturing 
capabilities will be both severely limited and strictly monitored by 
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA will be granted 
around-the-clock access to Iran's uranium mills, mines, conversion 
facilities, centrifuge manufacturing and storage facilities, making it 
nearly impossible for the Iranian government to violate their 
manufacturing restrictions. The IAEA will also have access to sites of 
concern where they believe unauthorized production to be taking place.
  If Iran fully complies with this agreement it will be an historic 
moment not only for the U.S. but for the rest of the world. If Iran 
violates the agreement, U.S., U.N., and E.U. sanctions will be snapped 
back into place. Further, all U.S. sanctions on Iran related to their 
involvement in terrorism and human rights abuses remain in place. All 
of the P5+1 partners understand that the U.S. will continue to strongly 
enforce these sanctions, including sanctions that impact non-U.S. 
entities.
  While I will not question the intentions of my colleagues, since we 
all have the same goal which is to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, some 
of the rhetoric in opposition to this agreement has been damaging, 
unhelpful, and at times absurd. Opponents of the agreement have called 
into question the integrity of the IAEA and their ability as the 
world's foremost independent organization on nuclear non-proliferation 
to do their work--for example, by claiming that the confidential 
nuclear safeguards agreement between the IAEA and Iran is a ``side 
deal'' and must be made available to the U.S. government. There is too 
much at stake and this debate merits a serious conversation based on 
facts. We need to move beyond the irresponsible, heated rhetoric and do 
what's necessary to assure that this agreement is successful, will not 
be violated by Iran, and ensuring that if violations occur there will 
be serious consequences.
  When this agreement is implemented Iran will be further away from the 
bomb than they are today. It will result in prolonging their timeline 
for creating a nuclear bomb from a matter of months to at least one 
year. Without the agreement, Iran would be able to continue their 
nuclear program unrestrained. If the U.S. walked away from the 
agreement, Iran would most likely ramp up their centrifuge production--
as they did after the U.S. imposed sanctions--which would surely spark 
a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
  Congress should play a supportive role in ensuring that the president 
can implement this agreement and provide oversight of Iran's 
compliance. Instead, my Republican colleagues are attempting to scuttle 
and undermine it, damaging U.S. credibility in the international 
community and creating a potentially dangerous security position for 
our nation. While I have not always agreed with President Obama's 
foreign policy choices I have fully supported his efforts to resolve 
the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions through diplomacy. The 
conclusion of this agreement demonstrates just how far the U.S. has 
come in repairing the damage wrought during the Bush administration. It 
proves that once again the U.S. can be trusted in working with both our 
allies and adversaries in navigating some of the world's most 
challenging security issues.
  The U.S. has nothing to lose by implementing this agreement--all 
options remain on the table, but we have a lot to lose if we walk away. 
Rejecting this agreement like some of my colleagues are advocating 
would take us back to some of the darkest years in U.S. history. 
Opponents of this agreement are using arguments put forth by Dick 
Cheney and Benjamin Netanyahu, two leading cheerleaders of the Iraq 
war--the worst U.S. foreign policy mistake in the history of our 
nation. Nobody wants to become further entangled in an endless war in 
the Middle East. The U.S. wasted more than $4 trillion on the wars in 
Iraq and Afghanistan and spent more money rebuilding Afghanistan than 
we did on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. What 
have the results been? Afghanistan is still a mess and Iraq is rife 
with religious and ethnic strife and partially overrun by ISIS.
  Preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon would be a huge step 
forward in the most unstable and dangerous region of the world. 
Implementing this agreement is the only option and the best alternative 
available to taking military action.
  Lastly, I'm hopeful that the successful implementation of this 
agreement will lead to a permanent peaceful resolution to this matter 
and open up a new chapter in Iranian-U.S. relations. Iran's future is 
also at stake and there is a young Iranian population that would like 
to see better relations with the U.S. and a more open Iran. This 
agreement should not be viewed as an irreversible capitulation to Iran. 
It is the first step in what will be a very long and arduous road to 
resolving critical issues with Iran and ensuring a safer Middle East.

                          ____________________