John Kerry

The U.N. Security Council sought suspension, not prohibition.

We believe this agreement also opens the door for our ability to deal with some of that.

It has got to make Israel safer. It has got to make the world safer.

We have to build a process. So what we did was we got, I thought, a remarkable amount.

We have an obligation to give these negotiations an opportunity to succeed.

Let me be very clear. This is a very delicate diplomatic moment.

Every one of us remembers Ronald Reagan's maxim when he was negotiating with the Soviet Union, 'Trust but verify.' But we have a new one, 'Test but verify.'

At least twice in this agreement it is mentioned that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

Believe me, this is not about trust.

But I don't think that any of us thought we were just imposing these sanctions for the sake of imposing them.

The pressure we put on Iran through these sanctions is exactly what has brought Iran to the table today.

I was always the leading proponent of the sanctions against Iran. I am proud of what we did here.

Now, that is very important.

Under this agreement, we will have increased transparency of Iran's nuclear program, giving us a window into their activities that we don't have today.

There is no right to enrich in the NPT. But neither is it denied.

I am hard pressed to understand why we would be letting up sanctions pressure.

Negotiations, quiet diplomacy was tried first.

We have got to counter that impression.

Iran has no such right under that treaty.

I feel, is too high, going beyond the lines of realistic international control.

Under this agreement, Iran will have to neutralize, end its entire stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium.

This agreement halts the progress of Iran's nuclear program, halts the progress, and rolls it back in certain places for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Israel's national security is stronger than it was the day before we entered into this agreement.

The national security of the United States is stronger under this first step agreement than it was before.

Let me just begin by saying that President Obama and I have both been very clear, as every member of this committee has been, that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon.