Rep. Kaptur Announces Support for Global Deal to Prevent Iran's Nuclear Weapons Development
Stresses U.S., Israeli, and global security
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) announced her support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, sometimes referred to as the Iran Deal, today. The full statement can be found here, with an abbreviated version included below.
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, negotiated by the five permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council, led by the U.S. (Great Britain, Russia, France, China, plus Germany), secures a global plan of action to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It positions the Middle East region and the world on a path toward greater security and peace, if the terms of the Agreement are implemented and verified effectively. Though there is no certain guarantee that the global community will be successful in this critical endeavor, this alone should not preclude the world community from a concerted effort to block Iran’s nuclear pathway.
Today, Iran is within reach of a nuclear weapon with experts suggesting it could achieve a weapon in as little as three months. Under the Agreement, Iran would be required to disassemble its entire nuclear weapons program and relinquish its entire supply of highly-enriched nuclear materials. Iran would be allowed to maintain a strictly controlled and monitored supply of low-enrichment uranium for nuclear power and medical applications.
Iran is a nation that has proven itself untrustworthy in prior nonproliferation accords. Thus, the unanimous commitment and cooperation of all permanent Member nations of the United Nations Security Council, as well as the unanimous 15-0 vote of the entire Assembly Council, holds the weighty prospect of a rollback of Iran's pathway to nuclear terror. All military, economic, and other punitive options available to the U.S. and Member nations will remain ready in the event the accord fails to achieve its primary, critical objective.
Having read the document and annexes carefully, I can confirm that no part of the deal depends on trust. The International Atomic Energy Agency will enforce rigorous, continuous monitoring and oversight. This monitoring is comprehensive, covering every step of the production process from mining and milling, through conversion, enrichment, and manufacturing, activity at nuclear reactors, and finally the waste of spent fuel. This is critical as Iran has proven time and again to be untrustworthy and covert when it comes to nuclear disarmament.
There is no economic relief for Iran in the deal until it takes verifiable steps to permanently disassemble its nuclear weapons platform. The terms include reducing its number of centrifuges from 19,000 to 5,060 and limiting low-level uranium enrichment to a single facility to be used for electricity production and medical applications. If at any time Iran violates these terms, the U.S. will have the support and cooperation of the entire international community to intervene as needed, with a snapback of sanctions and reserving the possibility of military force. International support is far from certain if the U.S. acts alone and rejects this deal.
The level of access mandated under this Agreement is unprecedented. It includes 24/7 monitoring of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Fordow, and Arak. A related agreement reached between Iran and the IAEA known as the “Additional Protocol” ensures the IAEA can access any undeclared suspicious location, referred to as “anytime anywhere” inspections. If the IAEA inspectors identify any activity that causes concern, they will be granted access or Iran will be in violation of the Agreement.
The world’s 20th century quest for diminishing petroleum reserves and the unjustified U.S. invasion of Iraq have yielded an entire region of our world in violent conflict and chaos. That region, which gave birth to the city-state and the earliest human settlements, is now dominated by regimes easily characterized as repressive and brutal, undemocratic and broken by poverty and chaos. Even now, the world witnesses hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to escape the vortex to hell characterized by these same regimes. This deal offers a glimmer of peaceful progress for the region, for our dearest friend, Israel, and our Gulf allies. It highlights a path of possibility rather than one of foreboding, buoyed by rigorous and strict verification processes and the broad support of the global community.
Iran holds effective reach over more than half of the world's remaining oil reserves, which will become more sought-after as the century progresses. Many experts argue that by 2050 the world will have reached the tipping point on diminishing oil supplies. Thus, peaceful development of those reserves could elevate the economic well being of that region and supply global demand; but if misused, or if the Straits of Hormuz were to be blocked for political reasons to do damage to the world community, a nuclear Iran holds the potential to do great harm.
Critics have suggested that the deal will enable Iran’s ballistic missile program. This is not accurate. Under the terms of the deal, sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program and its components will be maintained for at least eight years and the arms embargo for least five years or more. The U.S. will maintain its own strict sanctions and intelligence assets on both to counter Iran’s destabilizing actions in that region and allow sufficient time for us to evaluate Iran’s intent. U.S. military options always stand ready.
Throughout these negotiations, protecting Israel’s fundamental right to exist as a sovereign nation has been a central concern. U.S. foreign assistance commitments to Israel must continue in addition to providing her with access to state of the art military munitions and defense assets, such as the Iron Dome system and F-35 fighter jets. Ultimately it is in Israel’s best interests for Iran to verifiably disarm its nuclear. That is why many prominent current and former Israeli security and intelligence officers, including the former heads of Mossad, Israel Defense Forces officers, and numerous credible U.S. and Israeli experts on the region, have expressed their support for the Agreement.
As a Member of the Defense and Energy Subcommittees on the House Appropriations Committee, I have carefully analyzed the details of the JCPOA to ensure U.S. national security and that of our allies. I have had many detailed conversations with constituents, experts, diplomats, military and intelligence officers, and distinguished public servants who have dedicated their lives to the security of The United States, her allies, and the greater good of the global community. After weighing all options and alternatives, studying the international implications and exploring all foreseeable outcomes, I have determined that the Iran Nuclear Deal, negotiated and agreed to by the P5+1 nations, with unanimous support of the 15 members of the Security Council, is a course of action that could bring about a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions. It is the only course that holds Iran accountable and maintains the threat of global sanctions, and does not preclude military action if Iran violates the agreement.
As a result, I am giving the JCPOA my support. I must congratulate the President, his able Secretaries, and the signatory nations for their leadership pursuing an Agreement that holds the hope of sustaining life and creation, and advancing peace for all citizens of the region and our Mother Earth.”
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