Bob Menendez: “I am deeply concerned about U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to support the development of a 1,000 megawatt nuclear…”

“I am deeply concerned about U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to support the development of a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power reactor at Bushehr in Iran's Persian Gulf coast. I want specifically to address the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency's technical assistance for this plant, because I believe the agency is indirectly supporting Iran in its well-known endeavors to acquire dangerous nuclear technology. Iran claims it is merely seeking the wherewithal to meet its publicly desired statement to have a civil nuclear power program to generate electricity, which is suspect in light of Iran's having the world's largest oil and natural gas reserves. But it is no secret that Iran is also pursuing a nuclear weapon's development program. Last fall, Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation Bob Einhorn stated in testimony before the Senate that the administration opposed construction of the Bushehr plant because, 'it would be used as a cover for maintaining wide-ranging contacts with Russian nuclear entities and for engaging in more sensitive forms of cooperation with more direct applicability to a nuclear weapons program.' I could not agree more.”