Joe Lieberman

I believe his instincts have been right in positioning the United States to regain the upper hand with Iran in the international arena.

Our bipartisan coalition sends an unambiguous message of unity, strength, and resolve to Iran and the rest of the world.

By supporting the international offer for negotiations, the Obama Administration is building credibility with countries important for any future negotiation or sanctions effort.

The United States is now in a stronger position to argue convincingly for a more tough-minded international approach to the Iran nuclear issue.

Russia and China are partners with the United States in the international effort to convince Iran to join negotiations over its nuclear weapons future.

The most effective sanctions against Iran, in my view, would be those that are multilateral and not unilateral.

If no serious response is forthcoming by then, the United States and the other countries would have every right to turn to draconian economic and financial sanctions.

The obstacle to the peaceful resolution of Iran's nuclear program is not in Washington, but in Tehran.

What happens when they achieve that capability? Well, of course, for Israel... it represents an existential threat.

This bill will basically say to companies worldwide... you have got a choice to make.

Only through what Secretary Clinton described earlier this year as crippling sanctions do we have a chance to convince the Iranians to stop this nuclear weapons program.

The anxiety level about Iran and the Iranian nuclear weapons program is as high and intense at the leadership of the Arab countries as it is in Israel.

I thank you, Senator Bayh, for your strong and persistent leadership on this matter.

I don't think it is inevitable that we are going to have a war with Iran.

I think it is important that the President maintain his flexibility to conduct foreign policy because this is a shifting situation.

I think the problem with isolating them now and not talking to the government at all is that it probably weakens our ability to be effective in opposing them.

There will be a powerful motivation in some of the larger Arab countries to develop their own nuclear capability.

It was an honor for me to work with you on the amendment that passed in the Department of Defense authorization bill last week, and on S. 908, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act.

The threat is real, both to the United States and to Israel, and the profound instability that could result in the region if Iran were able to acquire nuclear weapons should be of concern to every American and every citizen on this planet.

This is a part of the world where it is hard to find friends, and this is a deep, deep friend.

If Iranian officials are unwilling to sit down at the table and negotiate, then Congress is prepared to authorize what Secretary of State Clinton has referred to as 'crippling' economic sanctions.

The United States cannot be passive and do nothing given the grave threat a nuclear-armed Iran would pose for the United States, Israel and our Arab partners.

I believe this Committee can provide much needed help, and that S. 908 is an important and useful way to move forward.

If this regime were to acquire nuclear weapons, it could spark a dangerous arms race in the Middle East.

I think that we can have a more complex strategy of negotiations combined with sanctions, of negotiations combined, as I think Senator Shelby said, with the threat of the use of force.