[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17330-17331]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IRAN SINCE THE DEAL--CONGRESS MUST STAY ENGAGED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Pompeo) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POMPEO. Mr. Speaker, just a little over 100 days ago, the Obama 
administration completed an agreement with Iran on their nuclear 
program. I strongly opposed the joint plan of action throughout its 
consideration in Congress. And indeed, Congress never approved the 
deal.
  Nothing since those 100 days have now passed lead me to have any 
different view of the impact of that deal on the United States of 
America. And yet the President appears prepared to continue to 
implement the deal on its terms, at least as he understands it.
  And while media attention may have shifted away to other things, it 
is incumbent upon this body, the United States Congress, to remain 
vigilant and to ensure that America's vital national security interests 
are not damaged beyond repair in the execution of the Iran deal.
  Indeed, in those 100 days, it has become clear that this deal is so 
badly conceived and America's position so muddled and the text so 
poorly drafted that the parties cannot even agree what they executed 
100 days ago.

[[Page 17331]]

  For example, Secretary Kerry, the principal negotiator on behalf of 
the United States and the P5+1, said on July 23 in front of the House 
Foreign Affairs Committee, ``We will not violate the JCPOA if we use 
our authorities to impose sanctions on Iran for terrorism, human 
rights, missiles, or any other nonnuclear reason.''
  But, on October 21, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in a 
letter to President Rouhani ostensibly approving the JCPOA, said, 
``Throughout the 8-year period, any imposition of sanctions at any 
level and under any pretext, including repetitive and fabricated 
pretexts of terrorism and human rights, on the part of any of the 
countries involved in the negotiation will constitute a violation of 
the JCPOA.''
  Members of Congress and the American people were promised repeatedly 
that this deal was only about Iran's nuclear program, and that 
America's ability to implement sanctions based on Iran's continued 
terrorist activities, ballistic missile ambitions, and other nonnuclear 
issues would not be impeded. But it now appears that the only man in 
Iran whose interpretation matters--the Ayatollah Khamenei--believes 100 
percent the reverse of that.
  This isn't a small disagreement. This isn't about where you put a 
semicolon or a comma. This isn't a small technical detail. This goes to 
the very heart of the deal between the P5+1 and the Iranian Republic.
  Iran's refusal to abide by the written terms of the agreement as it 
relates to sanctions seems, on its face, to be an irresolvable conflict 
on a key issue--and Congress must lead. Congress must stand ready, 
willing, and unified in combating aggression by a regime who continues 
to view America as the ``Great Satan,'' and has been emboldened by this 
deal.
  Rather than moderate, the regime has continued to flout U.N. 
resolutions, kidnapped more Americans, and stepped up its efforts to 
dominate the region. Here are several examples.
  On July 24, 10 days after the JCPOA was announced, Iran's chief 
exporter of terrorism, Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, traveled 
to Moscow, in direct violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.
  In September, it was reported that, in anticipation of sanctions 
relief, the Iranian regime has significantly increased funding for 
terrorist groups Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas, two organizations that 
have American blood on their hands. There is no doubt that these groups 
have turned their eyes to the West and to Israel as they seek to grow 
their deadly and destabilizing force in the Middle East, with no 
moderation, after they signed to this deal.
  On October 10, Iran successfully test-fired a next-generation 
ballistic missile, capable of striking Israel, in another clear 
violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
  And in just the last weeks, the regime kidnapped yet another American 
citizen without justification, Siamak Namazi, who joins Pastor Saeed 
Abedini, former Marine Amir Hekmati, and Washington Post reporter Jason 
Rezaian, in unjust captivity in Iran. There is every reason to believe 
there will be more.
  Iran has firmly set itself against American interests in Syria as 
well. A ground force of over 2,000 Iranian forces continues to fight 
against American interests in Syria, supporting dictator Bashar al-
Assad, who our President has said repeatedly must go.
  I came to the floor today because it is the 36th anniversary of the 
Iranian hostage crisis back in 1979. Anyone who had hoped that the Iran 
deal with the United States would portend a new era of openness between 
Iran and the United States has been disappointed and jolted beyond all 
imagination in the past 100 days.
  The Iranian regime clearly intends to test our willingness in 
Congress to defend America's interest by pushing the limits of the 
JCPOA, and beyond. Iran also intends to intensify their conflict with 
the West, imbued with a new legitimacy. It now has $150 billion.
  We, the Congress, have a duty to not let the passage of time, the 
loss of media interest, and the difficulty of the task to prevent us 
from protecting America's interest Iran's aggression--even if we must 
battle our own President.

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