Ted Deutch: “I thank the ranking member for yielding. I thank the chairman for his leadership in the committee. Mr. Speaker, there…”

“I thank the ranking member for yielding. I thank the chairman for his leadership in the committee. Mr. Speaker, there have been a lot of points made during this debate. I would like to set some context for the rest of the evening. Iran's regime is anti-American. They are anti-Israel. They are homophobic. They are misogynistic. They violate the human rights of their people. Iran's support for terrorists has led directly to the deaths of American citizens. It actively works to destabilize the Middle East. It vows to destroy Israel. It is responsible for the death of civilians and members of the military from Beirut to Buenos Aires. It has assisted in Assad's slaughter of 300,000 of his own people. As we gather here today, four Americans--Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, my constituent Bob Levinson--are in Iran, held by the regime and unable to return home to their families. Mr. Speaker, it is well known that I oppose this deal. On the nuclear issue, it does not dismantle Iran's nuclear program. It pauses it. Now, inspections in Nantanz and Fordow are very positive, as is the monitoring of the fuel cycle and the reduction in enriched uranium. But we cannot access other suspected nuclear sites in less than 24 days. If we find Iran in violation of this agreement, we cannot restore sanctions to the punishing level of today and, if we snap back sanctions, Mr. Speaker, Iran has the right to cease performing its obligations under the agreement altogether.…”