Congressman Sires' Statement on Proposed Iran Nuclear Agreement

(Washington, D.C.) -“ Today, Congressman Sires issued the following statement regarding the proposed nuclear agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon:

"The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action announced by the P5+1 earlier this morning represents two years of intense negotiations and a decade of international pressure and sanctions that led us to this agreement.

While I support efforts to pursue a peaceful path to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, I am deeply skeptical that the proposed agreement will actually prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  Iran has spent decades evading international sanctions, promoting terror in the region, and violently oppressing its own people. Any proposed deal with Iran must include the most intrusive inspections regime to verify that Iran is compliant with the agreement and unable to flout the parameters undetected. I have concerns regarding the enforcement measures within the proposal and the international community's ability to ensure Iran is playing by the rules. Furthermore, it is unclear what will happen to Iran's nuclear program after the initial pressure to comply dissipates and Iran is allowed to enhance its nuclear and weapons capabilities.

In the coming days and weeks, I will carefully review this agreement and see how it measures up against the claims that its implementation will cut off Iran's pathway to a bomb."