U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) made the following comments today regarding the preliminary agreement on Iran’s nuclear program:
“Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons must be stopped. While this temporary agreement clearly does not go far enough towards ending Iran's nuclear weapons programs, Secretary Kerry and our international negotiating partners have set the stage for a permanent deal in the months ahead. I share the mistrust of the Iranian regime that is felt by many Americans and our allies, and the burden is now up to the Iranians to use this window to prove they are serious as we move into the next phase of negotiations. If they are not, then they haven’t seen anything yet. It is my sincere hope that a concrete, verifiable agreement will be reached over the next six months that puts a permanent end to Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
On July 16th, Rep. Pascrell joined 131 bipartisan Members of Congress in signing a letter to President Obama urging him to pursue negotiations on a nuclear agreement with Iran in light of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s election. Two weeks later, on July 31, 2013, the House passed H.R. 850, the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013, legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Pascrell which would impose additional sanctions on Iran by designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, imposing sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, and requiring the president to develop a U.S. national strategy to counter the threats posed by Iran. Rep. Pascrell voted in favor of this legislation and sent a letter in support of the legislation to his colleagues in the House.
