Importance of Preventing Iran From Acquiring a Nuclear Weapons Capability

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a cosponsor of H. Res. 568 to commend Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for crafting this bi-partisan resolution and to urge my colleagues to support the bill.

As President Obama has made clear, it is unacceptable for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. The U.N. Security Council has passed numerous resolutions demanding that Iran comply with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. The IAEA has repeatedly found Iran to be in violation of the U.N. resolutions.

A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat to the State of Israel, a country the President of Iran has stated should ``be wiped off the map.'' A nuclear Iran would also trigger a nuclear-arms race in the Middle East that would further destabilize an already volatile region. It is in the national security interests of the United States to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The economic sanctions imposed on Iran have succeeded in bringing the Iranians to the negotiating table in Istanbul. It remains to be seen whether the Iranians are simply engaged in stall-tactics or are willing to end their effort to produce weapons-grade nuclear material. I know the Obama Administration will insist on a verifiable agreement when talks resume later this month. This resolution should send a strong signal to the Iranian regime that Congress stands with President Obama on this critical matter.

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