Ed Royce: “I think there is some confusion here. The point is that Iran is continuing to manufacture heavy water. The point is that…”

“I think there is some confusion here. The point is that Iran is continuing to manufacture heavy water. The point is that we are making a market for their ability to export this instead of taking the legacy stock of heavy water that is in the possession of Canada. The reason Canada quit producing it is because they have ample stock, and the presumption was they would sell that to the United States. Why? Because Canada is not in the business of trying to become more proficient in developing a market for something which can be used for nuclear weapons production. We have ample opportunity to purchase this from our ally. It is still a requirement under the agreement that Iran cut back its reserve of heavy water. If we are going to enter an ongoing program to continue to purchase this from Iran, what we are doing is enabling them, enabling them as they prepare 15 years from now, as I said earlier, to have that turnkey operation where they can then have industrial-size capability for the weapons program. The other point I would make is that the reason the Iranians have a favorable disposition towards the United States--and that is reflected in the polling that shows that two-thirds of Iranians want a western- style democracy without a theocracy--is because they don't happen to agree with the policies of the Ayatollah and what happened in 1979 with the revolutionary regime grabbing control of that government.…”