Action against iran particularly in light of additional resources, can we do that and can Congress Work with the administration to strengthen those tools without violating the jcpla . I want to know how the administration is updating its Regional Strategies against the various iranian activities and how we are going to work with our partners to build up their capacities to counter iran especially israel. The chairman mentioned the lifting of the International Arms embargo. That is a great concern. How will it impact the arms race in that region of the world . These are questions that we need to get the best information we can in making our decisions. And lastly, let me mention this because i think it is critically important. What are our options if United States walks away . How will we be perceived internationally . Will we be able to maintain effective enforcement of sanctions with our International Partners and will iran come back to a negotiating table with a country that has walked away from an agreement . These are questions that we need to understand. We need to know that the options are right now to go forward or not and what are the options, or to the consequences if we dont go forward . Mr. Chairman, we have a full plate and a look for to hearing from our witnesses and i hope that the members of this committee will use the information that we get today to debate the issue, take the time we have come and do what is right for the American People and ultimately make the decision that we think is best to prevent iran from becoming a Nuclear Weapon power. Mr. Corker thank you, senator cardin. I appreciate so much the work we had done together and the entire committee. With that, i know eyewitnesses here today need no introduction. They are well known not only here, around the world, in spite of our policy differences. I think each of us deeply appreciate there may not be policy differences in some cases, but we we deeply appreciate the tremendous effort that you put out on behalf of our country. We thank you for being here today. We thank you for being thank you for the willing to be here today. And with that, i would like to introduce collectively secretary john kerry, who has served with us secretary ernest moniz who has been incredibly helpful to all of us, and some of that i think we all appreciate deeply. Secretary lew who served in multiple positions here, has certainly been affirmed by this committee several times. Thank you all for your Great Service to our nation. In spite of some of the concerns we have here today. I think you all understand the drill. Take five minutes or so to explain, as i have looked at your testimony, i know it is very brief. Just toward people in advance, im going to do for my questions immediately thereafter and use my time to interject as things move along. With that, secretary kerry. Secretary kerry well, thank you, mr. Chairman, Ranking Member cardin. We really do appreciate the chance to discuss with you the comprehensive plan that we and our p5 1 partners have developed with iran regarding the future of its Nuclear Program. I let be emphasized everybody here, this is not just the United States of america. These are other Nuclear Powers. France, britain, russia, china. They have a pretty good understanding of this field and of the challenges. And i appreciate the way in which they and germany, which was the plus one, all came together, all could to be did all were part of this debate. So youre not just looking at what this table negotiated, you are looking at what the International Community, the p5 1 under the offices of the United Nations negotiated. And they are not down. They are experts, everyone one of them, and Nuclear Technology and ratification and verification. Smart people who spent a lifetime at this. In the have signed off on this agreement. And im joined by two cabinet secretaries whose help was absolutely valuable in reaching this deal and i think all of you for the role that congress played. I was privileged to be the chairman of this committee we passed the iran sanctions effort. And we all remember the debate we passed it unanimously, and it played a very significant role in bringing iran to the table and helping to make it clear that we needed to bring about a serious and productive negotiation with iran. From the day that those talks began, we were Crystal Clear that we would not accept anything less than a good deal. And we defined it. Up front. A deal that closed off the pathways to a bomb. The uranium pathways, the plutonium pathways, and the covert pathway. So we set our standards and we believe we have achieved to those standards. After almost two years of very intensive talks, the facts are really Crystal Clear. That the plan that was announced last week in vienna is, in fact, a deal that doesnt shut off those pathways. And provides us with guarantees through the lifetime of the ntp and the participation of a man that we will know what they are doing of iran that we will know what they are doing. The chairman said some phrase of, unless we give iran what they want. [laughter] folks, they already have what they want. They got it 10 years ago or more. They already have conquered the fuel cycle. When we begin our negotiations iran had enough material for 10 to 12 bonds. Bombs. They had 19,000 centrifuges. Up from the 163 they had back in 2003 when the Prior Administration was engaged with them on this very topic. So this is not a question of giving them what they want, it is a question of how do hold their program back . How do you dismantle their Weapons Program . Not their whole program. Lets understand what was really on the table here. We set out to dismantle their ability to be able to build a Nuclear Weapon. And we have achieved that. Nobody has ever talk about actually dismantling their entire program because when that was being talked about, thats when they went from 163 centrifuges to 19,000. Everybody here knows what the options are for actually stopping that. It was called military action. Because they are not good to stop it otherwise. They have already proven that. They have proven that during all those years. So, under this terms of this agreement, iran has agreed now to remove 90 of its stockpile voluntarily destroyed 98 of their stockpile of your aged uranium. They are going to dismantle two thirds of their installed centrifuges and they are going to take out the existing core of an existing heavywater reactor and fill it with concrete. Iran has agreed to refrain from producing or acquiring highly enriched uranium and weapons grade plutonium for at least 15 years. And if they began to do that ernest muniz will tell you, we will know it immediately. Iran has also agreed to accept the Additional Protocol, and the Additional Protocol is an outgrowth of the failure of the north korea experience, which put in additional Access Requirements precisely so that we do know what iran is doing. And they have to ratify it before the uns sanctions un sanctions are lifted at the end of this process. They have agreed to live by it from day one. They are going to live by the Additional Protocol. In addition, there are additional transparency measures. We can go into in the course of this hearing. Now, if iran fails to comply, we will know it. And we will know it quickly and we will be able to respond accordingly. By reinstituting sanctions, all the way up to the most forceful options we have today, none of them are off the table at any point in time. So many of the measures that are in this agreement are therefore not just for 10 years, not just for 15 years, not just for 20 years, not just for 25 years, of which there are measures for each of those periods of time but they are forever as long as iran is within the npt. By the way, north korea has pulled out of the npt. Iran has not pulled out of the npt. Remember two years ago when our negotiations began, we were facing in iran that was enriching uranium in a facility that was secret and buried underground. And they were never the stockpiling enriched uranium and had installed nearly 20,000 centrifuges. They were building a heavy water reactor that could build weapons grade plutonium. And experts assessed that the breakout time that as a result the interval required to rush to be able to produce enough material for one Nuclear Weapon was about two to three months. If this deal is rejected, we return immediately to this reality. Except that the diplomatic support that we have built with all these other countries, that we have accumulated, or to secure would disappear overnight. Let me underscore the alternative to the deal we have reached is not what i have seen on some ads on tv suggesting disingenuously. It is not a, quote, better deal. Some sort of unicorn arrangement involving irans complete capitulation. That is a fantasy, plain and simple. And our own Intelligence Community will tell you that. Every Single Department of our Intelligence Community will reinforce that to you. The choice we face is between in agreement that will ensure Irans Nuclear program is limited, regular sleep scrutinized, and wholly peaceful rigorously scrutinized and wholly peaceful, or no deal at all. That is the choice. There are 189 nations who live by the npt. Five of them are, as we know, the main Nuclear Powers of the u. S. Un. 184 of them are not nuclear in power. But they live by it. And we have lived by what the iaea does with respect to ensuring the a surety of all those with hundred 84 nations. Including 12 that enrich. If the u. S. Congress moves to unilaterally reject what was agreed to in vienna, the result will be the United States of america walking away from everyone of the restrictions that we have achieved. And a great big green light for iran to double the pace of its uranium enrichment, proceed full speed ahead with a heavywater reactor, install new and more efficient centrifuges, and do it all without the unprecedented inspection and transparency measures that we have secured. Everything that we have prevented will then start taking place. And all the voluntary rollbacks of their programs will be undone. Moreover, if the u. S. After laboriously negotiating this multilateral agreement with five other partners were to walk way from those partners, we are on her own. Our partners will not walk away with us, instead they will walk way from the tough bilateral sanctions regime they have helped to put in place. And we will have squandered the best chance we had to solve this problem through peaceful means. Make no mistake, president obama has made it Crystal Clear that we will never accept a Nuclear Armed iran. He is the only president who has developed a weapon guaranteed of attaining that. But the fact is that iran now has we all dont like it, but whether we like it or not, iran has developed experience with a nuclear fuel cycle. They have developed the ability to produce the material for a bob. Bomb. And we cannot on that knowledge away. Cannot bomb that knowledge away, nor can we sanction the knowledge away. Remember, sanctions do not stop Irans Nuclear program from growing steadily. By the way, they didnt choose to produce them. Unlike north korea, they created a Nuclear Weapon and exploded one and pulled out of the npt iran has done none of that. The vienna plan will provide a stronger, more comprehensive more lasting means of limiting Irans Nuclear program than any alternative that has been spoken of. And to those who are thinking about opposing the deal because of what might happen in 15 or 16 or 20 years, remember, if we walk away, the year 15 or 16 or 20 starts tomorrow. And without any of the longterm verifications or transparency safeguards that we are put in place. Over the past week, i have spoken at length about what exactly this deal is. I also want to make clear what this deal was never intended to be. First of all, as the chief negotiator, i can tell you i never uttered the words anywhere anytime nor was it ever part of the discussion we had with the iranians. This plan was designed to address the Nuclear Issue. The Nuclear Issue alone because we knew that if we got caught up with all the other issues, we would never get where we needed to to stop the Nuclear Program. It would be staying there forever, negotiating one aspect or another. And the highest party of president obama was to make sure that iran could get a Nuclear Weapon. Couldnt get a Nuclear Weapon. So we were disappointed that. We didnt set out, even though we dont like it and i have extensive plans that i will layout to you if you want them about how we are going to push back against irans other activities. Against terrorism support, its contributions to secretary violence and other things. All of those are unacceptable. They are is unacceptable to us as they are to you. But i have news for you. Pushing back against in iran with a Nuclear Weapon is very different from pushing back against in iran without one. And we are guaranteeing they would have one. So, we are working very closely with the gulf states. Just today in saudi arabia, carter was there yesterday, the foreign minister said that Irans Nuclear deal appears to have all the provisions necessary to curtail irans ability to obtain a Nuclear Weapon. That is saudi arabia. The varieties are supportive. Emirates are supportive. So i would suggest that we are going to continue to press iran for information about the missing american, about the Immediate Release of americans who have been unjustly held, and there isnt a challenge in the entire region that we would push back against if iran is involved in it, but i will tell you none of those challenges will be enhanced if iran gets a Nuclear Weapon. So the outcome cannot begin to buy sanctions alone. I wish it could. But it cant be. And by the way, it also cant be guaranteed by military action alone. Our own military tells us that. The only viable option here is a comprehensive diplomatic resolution of the type that was reached in vienna. And that deal, we believe that we will show it to you today and in the days ahead, will make our country and our allies safer. It will ensure that Irans NuclearProgram Remains under intense scrutiny for ever and we will know what they are doing. And it will ensure that the World Community is united in ensuring Irans Nuclear activities will remain wholly peaceful, even as he also stay united and pushing back against its other activities in the region, which we object to. We believe this is a good deal for the world. A good deal for america. A good deal for allies and friends in the region. And we think it does deserve your support. Mr. Corker thank you. Secretary moniz . Secretary moniz thank you, mr. Chairman. I do appreciate the opportunity to come here to discuss the agreement. The agreement prevents iran from getting a Nuclear Weapon, provide strong verification measures that give us time to respond if iran chose to violate the terms, and fundamentally takes note of our options off the table. I want to stress that americas leading Nuclear Experts and our National Laboratories were involved throughout these negotiations. Our god, los alamos, oak ridge the pacific northwest, savannah river, all played important roles. These Nuclear Experts were essential to evaluating and developing technical proposals and support of the u. S. Delegation. As a result of their work, im confident that the technical underpinnings of this deal are solid and the department of energy stands ready to assist in the implementation. The deal leaves the president objectives president s objectives. The jcpoa would extend for at least 10 years, the time that it would take iran to produce just material for a Nuclear Explosive. The deal addresses the uranium enrichment, plutonium, and covert pathways to a Nuclear Weapon. The parameters, as the making member mentioned, are maintained and in fact strengthened, not weakened, but strengthened in the final agreement. This means restricting the number, type, and location of centrifuges, dialing back the r6d program r d program reducing irans stockpile, and prohibiting introduction of any material. Excess infrastructure is also removed. All these reasons taken together establish the one your breakout timeline for accumulating highly enriched uranium. And something that we have not stressed, but i do want to add at the end of these 10 years iran will have far fewer than 19,000 centrifuges because they knowledge the breakage rate, if you would like. They will not have a large replacement capacity because of the agreements. In addition, iran will have no source of weapons grade plutonium. The reactor is transformed under