Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. While I wish it were stronger, it does force the administration to bring it before this body to review any deal. Last week, I traveled to Israel on a weeklong mission to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and convey the message that we stand with our Israeli partners on the security challenges that are in front of us.

The threat posed by Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon was at the forefront of literally everyone's mind. The Israeli leaders that I met with, individuals across the political spectrum, all reiterated what I have said all along: concern about the direction of the P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran is not--I repeat, is not--a partisan issue. In fact, there was multipartisan support and appreciation in Israel for Prime Minister Netanyahu's outspoken opposition to a bad deal.

Mr. Speaker, this is not just an American and an Israeli issue. A nuclear Iran threatens the Middle East, and, I would argue, the entire world.

Our allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council are also skeptical of the deal taking shape. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates have made their displeasure known by choosing to skip the President's Camp David summit this week.

Saudi Arabia, already fighting a proxy war with Iran in Yemen, will not sit idly by if we agree to a deal that legitimizes Iran as a nuclear threshold state. The last thing anyone in the P5+1 wants is a nuclear arms race further destabilizing the Middle East and, I believe, increasing the chance of a nuclear war.

Mr. Speaker, I implore my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation today to ensure that the American people have a say in any final agreement with Iran.

The legislation today guarantees that Congress will have an up-or-down vote on the future of any deal. It is that vote--the one which will occur after a deal is reached--that will be the pivotal moment in our efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program. That will be the vote that decides whether Iran has an internationally accepted and legitimized path to a bomb or whether we will hold the administration accountable to its assertion that no deal is better than a bad deal.

Looking ahead to that vote, we must withstand the pressure and unequivocally reject any deal that leaves intact Iran's nuclear infrastructure; cements Iran's position as a nuclear threshold state; unwinds the sanctions architecture, giving Iran an infusion of literally billions of dollars that it will use to finance terror against Israel and around the globe; and legitimizes a sure-to-fail inspection regime that falls short of ``anytime, anywhere'' inspections. Mr. Speaker, we must not be fooled into false choices, and Iran must not be left with any path to a nuclear weapon.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight something very concerning related to Syria which, I believe, has significant implications for any Iran agreement. Recent reports indicate a clear violation of the deal that this administration struck with Bashar al-Assad 2 years ago to remove chemical weapons from Syria. Unfortunately, these serious violations are not receiving the attention and scrutiny they deserve. According to reports, an international monitoring body found traces of chemical weapons in Syria and reported this breach to the administration earlier this year.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is quoted as saying: ``The Syrian revelations shouldn't be a surprise given the regime's track record. It is a violation of the deal we struck with the Russians, and it is a violation of the deal the Syrian regime struck with the U.N.''

Mr. Speaker, we cannot let history repeat itself with a bad deal with Iran. This deal, if done incorrectly, has far-reaching implications not just for the United States, Israel, and our allies, but for the world and future generations.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the legislation coming before this body today so that we can give the American people an opportunity to review what the deal is and have an opportunity to vote ``yes'' or ``no'' based upon what is in this agreement.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. I strongly support the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, and encourage my colleagues to join me in voting yes later today.

I am extremely skeptical of the framework agreement released in April because, as written, I believe it will legitimize Iran's status as a nuclear threshold state. This is unacceptable, and we should not support any deal that permits this.

The American people deserve a voice on this critical matter of national security, and Congress must have the opportunity to take an up-or-down vote on any final deal.

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