As “Adoption Day” is marked, Obama Administration looks more naïve by the day, says Foreign Affairs Chair

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued this statement as “Adoption Day” of the Iran nuclear agreement is marked:

“It has been 90 days since the Iran nuclear agreement was endorsed by the U.N. Security Council.  And the Obama Administration is looking more naïve by the day.  Consider the last three months:

“Iran’s top terrorist, General Qasem Soleimani, busted sanctions to travel to Moscow and forge a new Iranian-Russian alliance in support of Assad that has intensified the mayhem and humanitarian suffering in war-torn Syria;

“Iran tested a precision-guided, long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, in violation of U.N. Security Council sanctions, and unveiled a secret underground missile facility;

“Iran convicted an American journalist on bogus espionage charges, while other American captives languish in Iranian prisons.  The Administration’s top negotiator of the dangerous nuclear deal said she wouldn’t rest until these Americans were freed.  Earlier this month, she left office;

“Iran’s neighbors, as predicted, are reevaluating their traditional restraint on obtaining nuclear technology, which could lead to a regional atomic arms race; and

“In a key test of its commitment to the nuclear agreement, Iran has given minimum cooperation to international inspectors attempting to determine the extent of Iran’s past bomb work. 

“The Obama Administration’s belief that this nuclear agreement can usher in a new era of partnership is a complete misread.  It’s sure tough to look at Iran’s actions over the last three months – let alone 35 years – and think Tehran will live up to its end of the nuclear bargain.  If this is what the last 90 days look like, the next few years look like a disaster.”

Background note:  Under the agreement, “Adoption Day” is marked 90 days after the United Nations Security Council endorsed the deal.  Iran is to begin freezing parts of its nuclear program and the United States and the European Union are to begin regulatory work to waive sanctions.

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