Iranian Nuclear Agreement

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, July 7, the Obama administration once again ignored a deadline for the Iranian Nuclear Agreement while failing to set a new date to conclude discussions on what could prove to be some of the most important diplomatic negotiations of our lifetimes.

In March of 2015, I joined 367 Members of the House in sending a letter to President Obama requesting that any agreement would be provided adequate congressional oversight and approval. This was a bipartisan effort because both Democrats and Republicans alike recognized the magnitude of the challenges we face in confronting the possibility of a nuclear Iran.

The United States must promote an agreement that first and foremost advances our national security and the security of our allies in the region. A clear indicator of future performance has always been past performance. Unfortunately, Iran has a decades-long history of obfuscation when it comes to their nuclear program.

Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that negotiations do not result in simply delaying Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon for just a few short years but, rather, a strong deal that would prevent the current regime from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Speaker, as talks continue into the weekend, I am hopeful that negotiators will remember that no deal is better than a bad deal.

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