[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 92 (Thursday, May 26, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAN

 Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, yesterday, the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee held a hearing examining the current negotiations 
around restoring the JCPOA and our Nation's Iran policy. However, 
because I contracted COVID-19 and am following CDC guidance to isolate, 
I was not able to attend this important hearing. But I do want to 
state, for the record, that I believe preventing a nuclear-armed Iran 
through hard-nosed diplomacy is of the utmost importance to our Nation.
  I am under no illusions that the deal currently being negotiated by 
the Biden administration would be perfect or that Iran is a good-faith 
negotiating partner. But when it comes to preventing a nuclear-armed 
Iran and creating a monitoring and verification regime that ensures 
Iran is sticking to its commitments, it is the only option.
  Maximum pressure didn't work; more sanctions only led to Iran 
reconstituting its weapons program and growing its nuclear stockpile 
and more nefarious behavior in the region. A military response would be 
even worse; Iran would undoubtedly retaliate and be incentivized to 
ratchet up its nuclear program as it has done when its nuclear 
facilities and officials have been attacked in the past. Neither option 
achieves our goal of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.
  The only viable option is to continue negotiations on a nuclear deal. 
Doing so doesn't mean foregoing all of our other concerns with Iran. 
The U.S. never should and never will acquiesce in Iran's violations of 
international law and human rights and should continue to use all of 
our tools to combat its malign actions. But it would be a grave mistake 
to effectively green light an Iranian bomb if we are unable to convince 
Iran's leadership to renounce all of Iran's other bad behavior as well.
  A nuclear-armed Iran would be catastrophic for the region and the 
world by emboldening a belligerent nation, setting off an arms race, 
and undermining the broader nuclear order. I urge my colleagues to join 
me in giving the administration the space and flexibility it needs to 
restore a deal that prevents such an outcome.

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