[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5611-5612]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT REVIEW ACT

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, on April 2, President Obama announced that 
a framework had been reached for a nuclear agreement with Iran. If all 
goes according to plan--which hasn't happened often during these 
repeatedly prolonged negotiations--it means the White House would 
finish negotiating an agreement sometime in June. But the question 
remains as to what type of agreement the negotiations will finally 
produce.
  Any deal with Iran needs to achieve one thing--one thing--and that is 
to prevent permanently Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But the 
framework the President has unveiled seems unlikely to achieve that 
goal.
  Far from eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities, the framework does 
not shut down a single nuclear facility in the country. It doesn't 
destroy a single centrifuge. It doesn't stop research and development 
on existing centrifuges. It

[[Page 5612]]

doesn't eliminate Iran's missile development programs. And it allows 
Iran to keep a substantial part of its existing stockpile of enriched 
uranium. It is no surprise that Members of both parties are deeply 
concerned the final agreement will not be effective in preventing Iran 
from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
  I don't need to tell anyone why Iran's possessing a nuclear weapon is 
such a dangerous prospect. First of all, Iran, as we all know, is a 
state sponsor of terrorism. Practically speaking, that means Iran 
provides support and funding to organizations that consider the 
slaughter of innocent civilians to be an acceptable negotiating tactic, 
which has kept millions of ordinary men, women, and children in the 
Middle East from living in stability and peace.
  Iran's plan for the Middle East includes its stated goal of wiping 
our ally Israel off the map, which should tell us all we need to know 
about that country's commitment to peace in the region. Meanwhile, at 
home, Iran embraces the same violence and oppression it spreads abroad. 
Iran's Government is hostile to freedom of any kind. Thousands of 
Iran's citizens have been tortured, imprisoned, and executed for daring 
to stand up for their human rights. This is not a regime that can be 
trusted with a nuclear weapon.
  In addition to the danger inherent in a regime such as Iran having 
nuclear weapons at its disposal, Iran's acquiring such a weapon could 
likely start a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Right now, we are 
witnessing a quasi-proxy war in Yemen, with Iran supporting the Houthis 
and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombing the Houthis and supporting the 
ousted government. Imagine this scenario if both major powers had 
nuclear weapons at their disposal?
  There is also the other great danger in Iran's acquiring nuclear 
weapons--a chance it could give a nuclear weapon to a terrorist 
organization. Imagine a situation in which a nuclear weapon fell into 
the hands of such organizations. The consequences of that would be 
unthinkable.
  This week the Senate is considering the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review 
Act negotiated by Senators Corker and Cardin. The Iran Nuclear 
Agreement Review Act would ensure that the American people's concerns 
about a nuclear deal are heard by providing for congressional review of 
any agreement the President reaches with Iran.
  Specifically, the bill would require the President to submit the 
agreement to Congress and prevent him from waiving any congressional 
sanctions on Iran until Congress reviews the deal.
  Congress passed sanctions that eventually brought the Iranian economy 
to its knees and drove the Iranian Government to the negotiating table. 
The only reason--the only reason--Iran is cooperating at all on a 
nuclear agreement is because it wants to see those sanctions lifted. 
This bill would ensure the sanctions could only be lifted after 
congressional review.
  The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act would also make sure any 
agreement with Iran is verified and enforced. Under the terms of this 
legislation, every 90 days the President would be required to provide 
Congress with confirmation that Iran is complying with the agreement.
  The bill also includes reporting requirements on Iran's record on 
human rights and support for terrorism and any ballistic missile 
testing it is conducting.
  I plan to offer an amendment to this legislation to require the 
Secretary of State to investigate whether the International Atomic 
Energy Agency, which would be in charge of inspections under any 
agreement, would have access to military bases if they were deemed to 
be suspicious sites.
  Recent reports have indicated that the Iranian military is hostile to 
any inspection of military bases. General Hussein Salami, deputy head 
of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, told Iranian media, ``They [the 
inspectors] will not even be permitted to inspect the most normal 
military site in their dreams.'' Well, given that attitude, are we 
really supposed to trust Iran to fully comply with a nuclear agreement?
  While I remain concerned about the framework the President has 
unveiled, one bright spot in this debate has been seeing Democrats and 
Republicans working together to ensure that any deal with Iran is 
verifiable, enforceable, and accountable and promotes security and 
stability in the region and around the globe.
  This kind of bipartisanship has been more the norm in the Senate 
lately. When Republicans were elected last November, we promised we 
would get Washington working again for American families. That was not 
a campaign slogan. That was a commitment, and we have been delivering 
on our promise.
  Since Republicans took control of the Senate in January, we have 
passed 13 bipartisan bills: legislation to approve the Keystone 
Pipeline, a bill to prevent suicides among veterans, reauthorization of 
the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, legislation to give law 
enforcement new tools to fight human trafficking and provide support 
for trafficking victims, and the first significant bipartisan reform of 
Medicare in years.
  Even the media is paying attention. On April 26, CBS published an 
article entitled ``Some Good News Out of Washington, For a Change.'' On 
April 24, an NPR headline asked: ``Has the Senate Found It's More Fun 
to be Functional?'' And a USA TODAY headline from April 20 noted: ``New 
Study Suggests a `Healthier' Congress.'' It argues that we are getting 
things done again and working again and functioning here in the Senate.
  The best way to solve the challenges facing our Nation is for 
Democrats and Republicans to come together and to develop solutions. We 
have been doing that for the past 4 months here in the Senate, and that 
is what we are doing on this crucial Iran legislation.
  A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to the safety, security, and 
stability of the globe, and I look forward to continuing to work with 
my colleagues to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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