Washington, DC — Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement regarding the international negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
“I am disheartened that the P5+1 negotiations have not yet produced a final deal with Iran. The agreement reached one year ago – the result of strict sanction regimes by the United States and our allies that I have supported – was a sign of real progress and has helped control Iran’s nuclear program. The extension of this system is preferable to agreeing to a bad deal or walking away empty-handed, which would threaten the future security of the United States, Israel and the region. However, we must not allow Iran to continue to play for time, and we must ensure that inspectors have unfettered access to nuclear sites during this period to keep Iran in check. While we must be ready to enact even tougher sanctions on the regime if negotiations are unsuccessful, I remain hopeful that a strong agreement can be reached that guarantees a long-term nuclear free Iran.”