Reports indicate negotiators are weakening demands on Iran’s past bomb work

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued this statement following reports that international negotiators are seeking to weaken demands for transparency on Iran’s past bomb work.  The reports come as Iran has continued to refuse to cooperate with international inspectors investigating its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.  Negotiations resume today in Switzerland.

Chairman Royce said: “I’ve constantly said that Iran’s willingness to comply with its commitments to work with international inspectors and come clean on its past efforts to build a nuclear weapon is a fundamental test of Tehran’s intention to uphold a meaningful nuclear agreement.  U.S. and international negotiators absolutely shouldn’t fudge this test, which international inspectors have said Iran is failing.  Tehran has either come clean, or it hasn’t.    

“As U.S. negotiators reconvene with their Iranian counterparts, this issue must be front and center.  Members of Congress have made it clear that Iran’s past bomb work must be disclosed if a deal is to have any credibility.”

Last month’s IAEA report notes that the agency “remains concerned about the possible existence in Iran of undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organization, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.”  The report also said that inspectors had amassed “over a thousand pages” which showed “research, development and testing activities” on technologies needed to develop a nuclear weapon. This week, the head of the IAEA again expressed frustration at Iran’s lack of cooperation on this critical issue.

Last fall, more than 350 Members of Congress joined Chairman Royce, in writing to Secretary Kerry to express their deep concerns with Iran’s refusal to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

This week, more than 360 Members of Congress joined Chairman Royce in outlining a number of concerns with the ongoing negotiations, including “that Iran has still not revealed its past bomb work, despite international obligations to do so.”

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