On the recordJune 22, 2015
I now shift to a different threat we face. Time and again--time and time again--the Islamic Republic of Iran has lied to the international community. The latest evidence emerged in the June 2 publication by the United Nations Security Council of a scathing report on Iranian noncompliance with the Joint Plan of Action. Written by a diverse panel of international experts, the report catalogs a growing list of Iran's violations of multiple U.N. mandates. It deserves to be read widely by all those who care deeply, as I do, about the ongoing P5+1 negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. The lesson to draw from the Security Council report is clear: If Iran continues to violate its current agreements with impunity, how can we expect that Tehran would adhere to a new deal to suspend its nuclear program? This is a matter of plain common sense. The specifics of the report paint a profoundly troubling picture. Iranian arms transfer activities have continued uninterrupted, despite the sanctions imposed by the unified international community. These arms have found their way into a number of regional conflicts, fuelling instability in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere. Hezbollah and Hamas-- Iran's perennial terrorist allies--continue to turn these weapons against Israel and our other allies in the region. Regional violence has been and continues to be Iran's export of choice.…
