Political Quotes

“As the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress--in fact, the only Ph.D. scientist of any kind--I have taken very seriously my responsibility to review the technical aspects of the proposed agreement. After over a dozen briefings, many of them individual classified briefings by the technical experts who have supported our negotiators, I have come to support this deal not based on trust of Iran, but based on science. I would like to take a moment to make four technical points that underpin my support of this deal. First, in regards to the claim that ``Iran gets to be in charge of inspecting itself'' in investigations of its past weaponization activities, this is simply not true. The investigations will be carried out by a team of IAEA inspectors, using equipment and sampling kits prepared by the IAEA, with samples being sent to the international Network of Analytical Laboratories, of which a number of U.S. laboratories are members. I urge my colleagues who harbor doubts about this inspection regime to avail themselves of classified briefings on the details. What I can say publicly is that our technical experts have full confidence in the technical inspection capability of the IAEA. Secondly, in regards to the 24-day inspection delay, which has been a source of concern for many, including myself, under the proposed agreement, Iran's declared nuclear facilities will be available for anytime, anywhere inspection.…”