Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the announcement of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the P5+1 nations and Iran:

“The agreement announced today between the world’s major powers—the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany—and Iran is historic. It offers a verifiable, diplomatic resolution to one of our most pressing national security challenges. This is a strong agreement that meets our national security needs and I believe will stand the test of time. I stand behind the U.S. negotiating team and will support this agreement in the Senate.

“Most importantly, Iran’s pathways to a nuclear bomb—including through uranium and plutonium as well as covert efforts—are blocked through this agreement.

“Iran’s enrichment activities will be severely constrained, preventing them from retaining enough nuclear material for even a single weapon. Iran will be subject to unprecedented and highly intrusive inspections to verify it is living up to its commitments. The IAEA will have 24-hour access to all declared nuclear sites and this agreement provides a process for inspection of military bases. No sites are off limits to inspection. Plus, parts of this deal last for 10, 15, 20 and 25 years, and other parts are indefinite.

“The manner in which sanctions are addressed is another strong part of the agreement. Before any new sanctions relief occurs, the IAEA must complete its investigation into Iran’s previous nuclear weapons activities. And if Iran violates any part of the agreement, there is a mechanism whereby the full slate of sanctions snap back into place; it is structured in a manner that guarantees there will be a snap back if there is a violation. Furthermore, important UN restrictions on conventional weapons transfers and ballistic missile development will remain in place for five and eight years, respectively.

“Simply put, Iran will be held to the highest level of scrutiny under international law. As President Obama said this morning, all options to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon will remain available to him and future presidents should Iran fail to comply with the agreement.

“Congress will now begin two months of extensive briefings and vigorous debate. I have followed this closely and intend to go through the agreement carefully with officials and experts in the days ahead. I encourage my colleagues and the American public to assess this agreement based on its sound technical foundation rather than domestic politics.

“My congratulations to Secretary Kerry and the U.S. negotiators, who have come a long way over the last 18 months. They were able to overcome decades of enmity and extract serious concessions from Iran. They deserve enormous credit for this agreement, which will ultimately make the United States, Israel and all our allies safer.”

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