Obama's Iran Deal: Framingham's Delegation Speaks Out

President Barack Obama announced a deal with Iran to keep it from producing nuclear weapons on Tuesday, July 14.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and diplomats from the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany negotiated the deal with Iran that allows it to continue a peaceful nuclear program.

“A nuclear-armed Iran represents a significant threat to the United States, to our allies in the Middle East, and to the world. Diplomacy represents our best hope of ending that threat, far better than the alternative of escalating tensions and war,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts’ senior senator.

“ President Obama, Secretary (John) Kerry, and Secretary (Ernest) Moniz deserve great credit for working with our allies to reach a negotiated solution to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran without resorting to military action. In the coming weeks, I look forward to reviewing the details of this agreement to determine whether they are tough, verifiable, and effective,” added Warren.

American officials said the core of the agreement, secured in 18 consecutive days of talks here, lies in the restrictions on the amount of nuclear fuel that Iran can keep for the next 15 years. The current stockpile of low enriched uranium will be reduced by 98 percent, most likely by shipping much of it to Russia, reported the New York Times.

Read more about the deal in this New York Times report.

“I commend Secretary Kerry, Secretary Moniz and the entire U.S. diplomatic team for their tireless and committed work at these historic negotiations. I plan to carefully examine the language of the proposed agreement and look forward to hearing from our nation’s top current and retired national security leaders about how this agreement will improve regional and global security,” said Sen. Ed Markey. “We need to ensure that this agreement has the most invasive inspections possible, the most intensive enforcement provisions possible, including expedited ability to reinstate sanctions if Iran violates the agreement, and the most aggressive means to remove the technological capability for Iran to quickly make a nuclear weapon. Our continuing and ultimate goal must always be to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran from ever emerging.”

“Secretary Kerry’s tenacity and commitment has produced what most thought impossible – a possible diplomatic solution to the decades-long problem of Iran’s growing nuclear program,” said Framingham’s Congresswoman Katherine Clark. ”I look forward to carefully and thoroughly reviewing the agreement to ensure that it fulfills the goals of verifiably preventing a nuclear-armed Iran and promoting peace and stability in the region.”