I like what president obama had to say, because in my book, whatever he does, ever since he became president , to go against him, one time they said a time they agree with them, and then they change their mind and go again tim. Against him. If president obama could find a cure for cancer, they still would disagree with him, so i fully agree with my president. Next on the line. We have done nothing for far too long, and sanctions have only succeeded in crippling this economically, and with all of the difficulties. This is a step in the right direction. How effective it will be is yet to be seen, but something is better than nothing at this point. Thank you, and from raleigh north carolina, your opinion on the deal . Yes it is a bad move. They cannot be trusted. Anybody coming before or after meddling in this country and the whole region, trying to start a new world order and changing the way we live and using this as an excuse as to say, hey, this is for the security of our nation. They are always using that as an excuse, and i do not believe that. It is nothing but trouble. The president speaking at American University today making the case for the Iran Nuclear Deal, and your calls tonight, getting your opinion on what you think of the agreement between the major powers, the United States and other world powers and iran. Hank joins us from new york, the line for independents. We have absolutely no reason to give faith to anything the iranians say. What we tend to get from this, i think they will benefit greatly and we will not have any benefit to us. Except for perhaps political gain for the president and his party. Staying in new york, john joins us come staying with the independents. Yes, i would like to say i am very happy that the president has decided to work on a deal with iran. I am happy to see we are working on a different strategy in our Foreign Policy, and i am being positive. I have a positive outlook on the future. I think the way it works, we should give other countries a chance. We are powerful enough to take this risk. And i am happy that the president has made this at this time. Thanks for the call. A couple of tweets about the agreement, and from the national journal, a statement applauding obamas speech while criticizing his threatening language to iran. And from brookings, they say this is referring to members of congress. Now going through their 60day review. Of the iran agreement. Alex, from jackson heights, new york, on the line for republicans, you are up. Hi, i heard the president s speech, very eloquent. Unfortunately, he did not go into details, because the devil is in the details, and the details are that we feel at the tables with the russians and chinese as a community that is supposed to approve the complaints. I dont think that the speech of the president did cover it. Ok, a democratic caller from lakewood, washington, your thoughts on the agreement. Yes sir. I agree with the speech totally. Iran is a young country. They do not want war, and our people do not want war. We have been at it for so long and i do not understand what is wrong with the word piece peace and to give this time. I wonder what other people are going to say to their people about it. Do you think the administration is making the case for this deal, particularly with congress . I think so. I think schumer and the others will be backing it. Once they see the alternative is just not you know, where i am from, i have they used to show on the map where russia is, and this is coming off the map. They have nuclear capabilities, so i do not want to see anything go any further in the middle east, to spread any farther. X x for calling. Rj joins us from cumberland, maryland. This is absolutely necessary, regardless of what irresponsible people have to say. I have never seen the president have such well conceived arguments, laying everything out. People who do not see the wisdom in what president obama said at American University are just death deaf deaf to logic deaf to reason. My children served in iraq. I have a daughter who served as a noncommissioned marine. She is married to an active duty marine. These are the people who go to fight these wars. When everyone in congress has a kid in uniform, i will listen to what they have to say about tough talk and the military. Thanks for calling, South Carolina on the line for democrats. What is your opinion of the Iran Nuclear Deal . I think it is a sweet deal. I think president obama is a statesman, and he is also an international statesman. He explained in their he explained in very, very fine detail everything about this, everything about the future. We are like a giant compared to iran. It sounds let me may have lost rose up. A couple more tweets have come in. Actually, one earlier today from former arkansas governor mike huckabee, writing about the president each, comparing the nuclear deal with the islamic radicals running islam. It is beyond insulting. It is idiotic. Again, my cut cubby, who is running for president. We also have we lost that treat. Let me get this. One more from one of our viewers, tweeting and during the speech this evening. Andrew writes time for a few more callers on this Nuclear Agreement, and terry on the line for republicans. What do you think . I think it is a bad deal. I think you do not give the holy on the schoolyard the rocks to throw at you do not give the bully on the schoolyard the rocks to throw for you. Thank you. The line for independents. I do not know why we should trust a president who retreated in afghanistan and china is on the march in the south china sea. We are putting our trust in a regime who does not trust their own and has killed them by the thousands. We are selling piece peace in the middle east, and others will have Nuclear Weapons, and that is the most volatile and most unstable place in the United States, and obama and the democrats have blood on their hands for that. Pamela is with us. Tamala, you need to turn down your tv. You will get that echo. Sorry. It is ok. Go ahead. What do you think of the Nuclear Agreement . I am a republican from florida. Pamela, we have to move on. A reminder you have to mute the tv otherwise youre going to get a little bit of an go we get you on the air. Get a little bit of an echo when we get you on the air. I have suffered from a lot of turmoil, and i am glad to see that our president has taken a diplomatic turn on our international events. I think that he was absolutely taking the right road. From evanston, you are up. This basically guarantees iran a Nuclear Weapon in 10 to 15 years. What about the four americans being held hostage by iran . Why sit at a table with a country that has hostages, and not even ask for them . Do you think that should have been a part of the agreement . We should not have sat down at the table with them unless it was part of the agreement, and our allies do not like the deal. Israel does not like the deal. Those that are jewish you are democrats are against the deal and that should tell you something. In texas an independent caller. Go ahead with your thoughts. My question is when did israel become the 51st state. Do you want to answer that yourself . What do you think . What is the influence of israel in all of this . Way, way too much in this country. Thank you. Good evening. I fully support president obama. I think he has done a wonderful job leading. We are not the only country that had come to this conclusion that this is the best possible deal. Very good. Tom in ohio, go ahead. Republican call. High. I think our president has lied to us on many occasions about health care and many other issues. I think it is critical that we are not recognizing the fact of the damage that could happen to israel, a protected nation by god, and i think our president has sent us down the river on this deal, and he wants to give them 20 billion of our money, and i that is wrong. Thanks for calling. Another one of our viewers tweeting in saying, do not buy it. Iran will conversely covertly work on a bond. We need to take out Nuclear Sites asap. A few more calls, from jacksonville florida, an independent call. Go ahead. I absolutely agree with the president. We have to try peace first. If we do not try this first, what is the point . You have to give peace a chance, and then we go in with the military. That is what the military is for. Next call from smithfield virginia, a democrat. What are your thoughts . God bless you. The first thing i want you to do is to pray for peace. A few weeks of prayer for peace. We know that we are going to be sustained through god. We always protect israel, but we do not need another war on this earth. Thanks for calling. Jeff in winstonsalem, north carolina, you will get the last word in this go around. Yes, i think this is a bad deal. Asking us to trust iran, if you look back at the record, the people of iran are laughing at us. It is a bad deal. It is that all of the way around. If you missed any of the president s speech, we will be airing it again at 11 00 p. M. And you can watch it any time on our website at cspan. Org, and now a hearing on the sanctions part of the deal. It would remove International Sanctions on the iranian government and state Department Officials testified at a Senate Hearing about the lifting of the iran tensions and its effect on Foreign Policy. The chairman of the Banking Committee is senator richard shelby. This hearing runs 3. 5 hours. The hearing will come to order. Do you want to go ahead and ask it now . Do you want to wait . If that satisfies you, that satisfies me. Much has changed since the Committee Held its hearing on iran and marked up an economic sanctions bill. Since then, there has been a Nuclear Agreement with iran after numerous delays. Many serious concerns have been brought including first and foremost, whether it would actually prevent iran from continuing on its dangerous path to a Nuclear Weapon, and although a new deal has been reached, then a mental problems remain with iran, the country upon whose assurances the deal rests. Iran remains the state sponsor of terrorism and remains a serious risk to the National Security interests of the United States. It remains a constant threat to the survival of israel. And despite these grave concerns it will remain a country with , the capability to enrich uranium. Under these circumstances, i believe it is critical that congress conduct a thorough review of the agreement as required by the iran Nuclear Agreement review act. As part of this review, the Banking Committee will focus specifically on analyzing the sentience relief provided in the Nuclear Agreement and the implications of taking such actions. There is general agreement that the pressure of sentience brought iran to the negotiating table. Congress must consider carefully now the repercussions of lifting those sanctions on our National Security and our economic interests. In recent weeks, many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed skepticism over several aspects of the agreement. For example, the relief provided to you ron this deal would allow iran the financial means to increase its support of terrorism and regional destabilization. In addition the mechanism for , reopposing the harshest sanctions should iran not comply with parts of the deal may prove ineffective except in the most extreme cases of violation. Many view it as irans license to cheat, as long as such cheating falls just short of a zynga the begin violation of the falls just short of violating the sanctions part of the agreement. Financial sanctions have become a critical tool of u. S. Foreignpolicy and a very important part of this committees jurisdiction. In fact, over and they shall administration objections, this committee was instrumental in and posing the sanctions that brought iran to negotiations in the first place. I believe it is essential for u. S. Sanctions and policy to continue to meet any new security challenges presented by iran. Today, the committee will hear from two panels. On the first panel, we will hear from the administrations lead negotiator of the agreement and the lead sentience expert. Then they committee will receive testimony from a panel of experts who have studied the agreement extensively, including officials from the previous administration. Senator brown. Senator brown thank you, mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, mr. Shuman, thank you for being here and for your very important public service. A witness we will hear from the second panel, four who work in the Bush Administration, terrorist finance and middle east policy. This whole process began in the Bush Administration with a republican president who was in the wake of the iraq war willing to engage iran diplomatically. As secretary kerry observed the Bush Administration laid the foundation for the iran agreement, sanctions relief and strict limits on the Nuclear Program. In june 2008, president bushs National Security advisor signed a memorandum with the p5 plus one, which is said that in return for iran doing key things to limit its maker program, the United States was ready to do a number of things. One, to recognize irans right to Nuclear Energy for peaceful purposes. Two, treat iran for the Nuclear Program like any other nonNuclear Weapons state to the npt with International Confidence that the peaceful nature of the program to be restored. Three, provide technical and Financial Aid for diesel energy. Fourth, work with iran for confidence Building Measures allowing for Civil Aviation cooperation. That was condoleezza rices agreement at the time. This should sound familiar because it was the early outline of the iran agreement just completed. That is part of why i have been so disappointed in the politicized nature of the debate on this agreement so far including from colleagues coming out in opposition to the agreement within hours of its release, even though it is over 100 pages long and very dance and complicated to read a very dense and come located to read. This will be the second or first most important vote i have ever cast in Foreign Policy. Second perhaps only, or even more important, then my vote against the iraq war a decade plus ago. This should not be subject to partisan attacks and political ad wars, even though it has been. Congress should give this serious debate. We know iran is a sponsor of terrorism. We know it destabilizes the region. We know in violates the human rights of its people. That is why western policymakers agreed to separate out and try to secure an agreement on this one specific arrangement. They knew an iran with a Nuclear Weapon would be especially dangerous to us, israel, and to the region. That was the singular goal of p5 plus one negotiations, to keep iran from getting a Nuclear Weapon. Since iran has deceived the west verification is key. , we must understand how verification will work. There is a number of questions why iaea has sufficient resources to conduct inspections, suspicious covert sites. Will our intelligence capabilities be able to detect cheating . Willie iran breakout time be extended from two to three months to a year, will it become to respond politically economically, and necessarily military if necessary militarily . What actually happens of Congress Rejects the deal . How would we maintain effective enforcement of our sanctions without the support of our p5 plus one allies . It was made clear to a large group of us yesterday that we would be isolated. What happens of the country like china walks away and dodges our sanctions by establishing banks with no correspondent relationships in the u. S. And starts buying iranian oil again . What would a rejection and congress due to the credibility of the United States in the eyes of the western world . We need answers to these questions and others. Some we will hear today, summing classified sections. Over the years, i have joined many colleagues in supporting ground after round of unilateral and International Sanctions which brought iran to the table and helped secure this agreement. Some predicted the jpoa would unravel the sanctions regime. It has not. Others worried iran would not comply. Or it would benefit unduly from sanctions relief. That has not happened. We have an unusually grave and historic responsibility to assess the consequences without partisan rancor, without partisan attacks, to assess the consequences of this agreement and to weigh the risks and benefits of allowing the president and allies into test irans ability to comply with it. Some of us might differ on tactics, but we share the same goals, to ensure that iran does not achieve a Nuclear Weapon, to do that diplomatically, if possible, and to recognize that other alternatives remain on the table and are not precluded by this. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator shelby thank you. The first panel, we will hear from honorable Wendi Sherman secretary under secretary for Political Affairs here next, we will hear from mr. Adam szubin acting undersecretary of the treasury for t