Mike Thompson: “A nuclear-armed Iran is certainly unacceptable, and there are two ways to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon…”

“A nuclear-armed Iran is certainly unacceptable, and there are two ways to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon: diplomacy and military force. As someone who served in combat, I believe our Nation's first choice should always be diplomacy. I say ``first choice'' because nothing in this deal takes military action off the table, but before we go down that road, we need to give diplomacy a shot, and this deal is the best way forward. I am not new to the issue. I just finished serving 8 years on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I have reviewed the intelligence; I have read the classified documents, and I have had numerous briefings with experts from every side of this issue. There is no other deal to be had. It is this, or it is the status quo. Make no mistake, the status quo leaves Iran just a short time away from a bomb. All of the intelligence clearly points towards the fact that this agreement is far better than doing nothing, better than the status quo. Iran is already a nuclear threshold state. If we reject this deal, Iran will keep getting closer and closer towards the development of their nuclear weapon. If we accept the deal, we will be able to halt Iran's activities. The IAEA will have enormous access to conduct inspections, and Iran must forever honor the conditions of the nonproliferation treaty or face the consequences. This deal isn't about trust.…”