WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today issued the following statement regarding the announcement of a nuclear agreement between Iran and a group of six leading nations, including the United States:
“This deal intends to slow down Iran’s march to nuclear weapons capability, but even the White House concedes that this agreement will not permanently stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Congress must determine what this deal does buy us and at what cost. I will carefully review the details, but I admit profound skepticism. The intentions of the Iranian regime have been revealed by decades of murderous aggression and lying deceit. This violence is the proven record of our negotiating partner, and all of Iran’s commitments must be evaluated in that light.
“Now that Congress has an opportunity to review the pending deal, every member must evaluate what it will mean for our nation’s security, both now and in the future, when the agreement’s terms have expired. We must not be persuaded by the coming public relations campaign that will trumpet a victory for diplomacy before we clearly know what our diplomats have given up in a desperate effort to get a deal. Similarly, we must not accept the false choice between a bad deal and war, which also will be part of the PR effort.
“If this proposed deal fails in any important respect, Congress must reject it. We then can enact more vigorous sanctions to persuade the Iranian leaders to reconsider their positions or persuade the Iranian people to reconsider their leaders.”
