WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) introduced the Iran Nuclear Verification Act. This legislation would prevent the Biden Administration from rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal until Iran is in full compliance of both the letter and spirit of the agreement. Reps. Yvette Herrell (R-NM), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and Jerry Carl (R-AL) joined Rep. McClain as original cosponsors of the legislation.
“The horrific Iran Nuclear Deal is incredibly dangerous for not only the United States, but the entire world,” said Rep. McClain. “President Biden is already recommitting the United States to a flawed deal that will lead to a nuclear-armed Iran within 10 years. Lifting President Trump’s sanctions on Iran, including visa restrictions on Iranian leaders, gives the regime relief without any verification of adherence to the spirit of the deal. This sets a dangerous precedent. Iran must hold up its end of the deal before any sanctions are lifted.”
“President Trump’s policies towards Iran worked,” said Congresswoman Herrell. “This legislation is important to stopping the U.S. from rejoining a flawed deal that provides Iran with a pathway to a nuclear weapon and a jackpot of sanctions relief.”
“The JCPOA was a bad idea when it was signed by President Obama, and it is a bad idea now. President Trump defended America’s interests when he withdrew, and now President Biden is considering re-entering the deal even though it paves the way for the Iranian regime to achieve nuclear capabilities. As things stand, Iran has pressured Biden into lifting economic sanctions, and Iran is also set to curb access for nuclear inspectors. Nothing about Iran’s posture suggests America should be bending over backwards to accommodate the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. I am proud to support Congresswoman McClain’s bill to push back on a hasty re-entry to a deal that does not make sense for America’s best interests,” said Rep. Jackson.
“This legislation addresses a major shortcoming of the incredibly flawed Iran nuclear deal. It eliminates the Iranian regime’s ability to deny access to United Nations nuclear inspectors to all of its nuclear sites. This very basic requirement is obvious and should have been initially included in the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama White House. As long as Iran continues its pursuit to possess nuclear weapons, terrorist groups and instability will continue to thrive in the Middle East and across the globe.” said Rep. Crawford.
“President Trump was right to pull America out of the misbegotten Iran Deal. The escalation of violence and chaos throughout the Middle East was caused by the aggression of an expansionist Iranian regime supercharged with new cash flow from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). We must learn from the mistakes made by the Obama administration. In order for any negotiations to begin, Iran must be held accountable and allow inspectors total and complete access into their nuclear testing sites,” said Rep. Lamborn.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues on this common-sense legislation which makes the world safer and more stable. Iran poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it would be a grave mistake for President Biden to rejoin the flawed Nuclear Deal without UN inspectors first being able to ensure Iran is holding up its end of the agreement,” said Rep. Carl.
The bill will force President Biden to hold off on rejoining the JCPOA until Iran allows the UN nuclear inspectors full access to all nuclear sites and the UN nuclear inspectors finalize their comprehensive report on Iran’s nuclear activities.
Iran is a major threat to the United States and our allies. Removing sanctions will empower Iran to resume their nuclear weapons program, fund terror across the globe and continue to commit cyber warfare against the United States.
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