Don Bacon Statement on Iranian Nuclear Deal

Statement

I've spent the last few days studying the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran. It deserved careful consideration. I've concluded this agreement is wrong for America and our allies.

The one benefit of the proposal is that it will make it harder for Iran to quickly obtain a nuclear weapon. However, the administration acknowledges that Iran will have a "1-year break-out" capability to amass enough fuel to produce a nuclear weapon even after this agreement is put into effect. This is not sufficient and the bar has been set too low.

The costs of this agreement are high. Iran will come out from underneath economic sanctions and eventually will have the weapons embargo removed. This will allow Iran to grow as a regional power and to ramp up its terrorism efforts, undermining its neighbors, Israel and the United States. The dire threat to Israel will continue. And, Iran will still hold four American hostages.

We should believe it when Iran says it is our enemy--its actions have shown it. Just last week their Supreme Leader said, "Death to America." Iran is behind the killing of over a 1,000 Americans in Iraq using the Shi'a militias. During my year in Baghdad our area would normally get hit with between three to thirty rockets or mortars a day, and most originated from Sadr City where the Shi'a militias operated from. The weapons used were newly produced from Iran's factories. Iran had two training camps for the Shi'a militias that were located South of Tehran, Iran. While I was there we captured a senior Iranian operative in Iraq who was evaluating the training needs of the Shi'a militia and who was advising them on their operations against American servicemen and women. And, we should not forget that the Beirut Barracks and Khobar Towers bombings were inspired by Iran.

We should maintain crippling economic sanctions, an arms embargo, and the credible threat of air strikes with the goal of dismantling the nuclear infrastructure in Iran. The current agreement sets the bar too low, and should have included the return of our American hostages being held in Iran. The President's proposal will result in a stronger and more dangerous Iran.

Source