And looking ahead at what might change between now and november that ultimately gets us the type of deal we hope for. What i would like to hear from our witnesses who have been across the table from the iranians, given the underwhelming concessions achieved today, as what you have learned over the last six months that leads you to believe we can reach a comprehensive deal in the next form of. Now i think that everyone knows where i stand. I have been skeptical of the iranian sincerity from day one. I cannot say that i am any less skeptical today than i was six months ago. I do not believe tehran has had a change of heart about its Nuclear Program. If it did, i would think that the whole militarization aspect of it would be part of something that has not been negotiated. It would be up front, i think it shouldve been up front from the very beginning so that we could define truly the nature of these negotiations in a way that the world would not just suspect iran was pursuing Nuclear Weapons but would know it. I do believe that the iranians want relief from sanctions. That is why there at the table. I also believe we have the leverage in this negotiation and we should use it to get a good deal. If not a good deal, then no deal at all. On that, i will say that i have joined with the Administration Many times and secretary sharman has on different occasions publicly and privately said that no deal is better than a bad deal. But lately i hear refrains from the administration but if no deal, what . That would suggest that if we have no deal there are those who suggest that is a choice between hitting some type of a deal or having to go to a military action. I reject that as a choice. I believe there are significant interim steps in between that lead is far from that ultimate conclusion. And, i also get concerned when i hear if no deal, what . Beause that implies you have to get a deal no matter what. I believe there are those in the disarmament community and the editorial pages who suggest that those of us who want to really make sure that we get a good deal, somehow have this penchant for war. I find it particularly amusing as it relates to myself. I was one of the handful of people who voted against the war of iraq, for example. At a time when it was overwhelmingly popular to vote for war. As someone who has followed this for years, from my days in the house of representatives until the present, i know that the iranians have gotten us to up point that by defining the International Community, we now accept things that we have never thought that we would never have thought were acceptable. Levels of enrichment. Changing the facility, not closing it. Changing the nature of their plutonium reactor. They have succeeded in moving us well along the lines of what they ultimately want i defining the International Community. Including the present president of iran who has boasted about, that while he was moving that program along he was able to keep the west from significantly sanctioning iraq. With past as prologue, i think my skepticism is well worth it. What i want to know is whether you believe in extension will give us a good deal, a deal that alters Irans Nuclear heading, postpones breakout, dismantles irans Illicit Nuclear infrastructure, puts us in place with a monitoring regime, and calibrate sanctions related to specific and smart including a resolution of the dimension of irans i am not looking for talking points today. I want to hear from the panel i want to hear from the panelists, why they think another four months will make a difference. I want to hear what happened at the negotiation table that brought them closer to a deal if only they had another four months. Let me close by saying what i have always said. I support the administrations diplomatic efforts. I have always supported a bipartisan, two track policy of diplomacy and sanctions. At the same time, i have always believed that we should only relieve pressure on iran in exchange for longterm, firefly a bold concessions that would fundamentally dismantle Irans Nuclear program. And that any deal structured in such a way that bills will be running should they start their program anytime within the next 2030 years. I also want to be clear today that i do not support another extension of negotiations. At that point, iran will have exhausted its opportunity to put real concessions on the table, and i will be repaired to move forward with additional sanctions. Thank you mr. Chairman. I want to say that i think those are excellent opening comments and i think there has been bipartisan concern about where iran is. Actually, looking back over our notes, we look back at the hearing we had an october 2013. Where i think wendy and david both were here, and we talked about the extraordinary effort internationally that had been put into place to get iran where they were. I think this statement you mentioned, and hopefully this will play out in this way, but irans compliance with Un Security Council resolutions would be the ultimate test as to whether they really were willing to deal with us in the appropriate way. I think all of us wish you well, and all of us, i do not know a soul here who does not wish to see this resolved in a diplomatic way. We have had numbers of briefings. Classified, some unclassified. I will say, in fairness, the chairman is right. I mean, in each case, on the important issues, wait until the we feel the goalpost moved. In march, of course, the issue of enrichment was basically agreed to. In a be very difficult, i think, to walk that act. But then, on so many other issues that are related and tied to that, we see the goalpost again continue to move. I know that davids testimony today has done a good job was sanctions. He is going to talk about the relief that iran is getting during this next fourmonth extension. I think all of us are concerned that and rightly so. I think the chairmans remarks speak well for most of the committee, candidly. I hope that today you will publicly admit that there will be absolutely no more extensions. None. No matter where we are, at the end of this fourmonth. We will either come to an agreement or not. People are very concerned about a series of rolling interim agreements. Secondly, i hope you will commit, as john kerry said, to congressional bias. I hope you will agree to some format that gives congress the ability to weigh in on this deal. I know you said the sanctions cannot be weighed waived without congress waving in weighing in. Congress playing a role in one of the biggest issues that this restriction is going to deal with relative to reaching an agreement relative to nuclear issues, i think congress can be an important and valuable backstop to the administration as they negotiate this. I know congress has sent out very strong signals about what we believe is an acceptable arrangement. Take you for being here. I appreciate your service to the country. I appreciate the updates we received by phone and in person. All of us want to see success and are all very concerned about where we are at this moment. Or the record, your full statements will be sent. With that, madam secretary you are recognized. Good morning. Thank you. I am pleased to be here along with undersecretary to discuss the status of negotiations related to her rounds Nuclear Program. You have my written statement will stop i will summarize key points. Esther chairman and members, our goal is to prevent iran from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. The diplomatic process we are engaged in is designed to achieve that goal peaceably and durably. We have a basic metric. One that cuts off all of irans potential paths to a Nuclear Weapon. The plutonium path with the current reactor. The path with the underground facility. The path of breakout with the enrichment plant. And the path that would occur in secret which we will deal with intrusive message measures. We will only provide relief to a ran after it has provided verifiables steps as part of an agreement to maintain the capacity to tighten the pressure if iran fails to comply. I cannot tell you today that our diplomacy will succeed, because i am not sure that it will. I can tell you that in the past six months, we have made specific and study process. We have narrowed the gaps. We have identified the areas where more hard work is required. We have had productive discussions about how to reduce the dangerous and about the disposition that of stockpiles of enriched uranium. Nothing has been agreed because nothing is agreed until everything is a great. We still have substantial differences, including the question of an richmond capacity. As you know mr. Chairman, there is a limit to how detailed i can be and still maintain leverage for the goals we seek. The bottom line is that although obstacles still remain, we are moving in the right direction. For that reason, two weeks ago the parties agreed to extend deliberations for four additional months. We agreed to this extension because we had seen significant progress in the negotiation room and because we can see a path forward. However difficult to get to a comprehensive plan of action, we will use this time to get to that comprehensive plan for making sure iran does not obtain a Nuclear Weapon, and for making sure the plan is peaceful. I know for a fact a year ago Irans Nuclear program was growing and becoming more dangerous each day. That is no longer the case. Last december, we reached its essence on a joint consent cents consensus on a joint plan of action. The joa has blocked each of the paths around would need to go down to build a Nuclear Weapon. Many observers doubted around would keep their agreements under the joint plan. But it has done what it promised to do during the past six months. The result is a Nuclear Program that is more constrained, more transparent, and better understood than it was a year ago. A program that has been understood for the first time in nearly a decade. Sanctions for iran will remain limited to amounts that will do little, if anything, to enhance arounds eighthseeded economic problem. We strive to negotiate a comprehensive, longterm plan. We will never rely on words alone when it comes to iran. We will insist commitments be monitored, verified, and in terms of access and inspection be thoroughly spelled out. Our goal is to structure agreement that will make any attempt to break out of such an agreement so timeconsuming or difficult that iran would be stopped before it could succeed. Speaking more generally, i want to emphasize that speaking on one issue does not require silence on others. The United States will not hesitate to put pressure on iran when it is warranted. Whether it is in relation to its abysmal human rights record, its outright hostility towards israel, its retention of prisoners, mr. Chairman and members of the committee on this issue we are united in our goal. We are determined that iran will not create a Nuclear Weapon. By our allies and partners, and by the council, we believe iran has come by this in a serious way. We are now in the process of determining whether the end we seek can be achieved by a diplomatic process. That effort is worthwhile because a positive outcome would be referable. It would ease anxiety and and had stability in the middle east. It would reduce the likelihood of a nuclear arms race. It would contribute to the security of israel and to our partners throughout the region and it would make our own citizens safer between now and the end of november. We will continue our pursuit of these ends. It is with those higher purposes in mind that i respectfully thank you and ask you again for your support will stop i thank you for the opportunity to be here. I will be as specific and detailed as i possibly can, mr. Chairman, in this open session. Chairman mendez chairman menendez, thank you for this invitation to appear before you today to discuss the extended joint plan of action. I will focus my oral testimony on our efforts to maintain intense pressure on iran to achieve a successful resolution over its Nuclear Program. The ever mounting pressure they will face in the joint plan of action. As we seek a comprehensive longterm resolution to the communitys concerns over Irans Nuclear program. When we announce the joint plan, we said we did not expect the relief package to material to materially improve irans today, as we start to implement the extended jp a, iran remains in a deep economical. The value of irans currency has decreased by about 7 since the jpl a was announced last december. It has lost about 120 billion in oil revenues. It lost about 120 billion in the first few months. It stands to lose more in the next four months. Irans Economy Today is 25 smaller than it would have been had it remained on its pre2011 growth trajectory. When we just when we entered into the jpoa, some argued that irans economy would rebound. Our sanction regime remains above and irans economy continues to struggle. We remain confident that four months from now, our sanctions will continue to bite and irans economy will continue to be in distress. It may provide iran may pale compared with what iran needs to dig itself out of the deep economical. Firms have good reason to remain reluctant about doing business in iran. The overwhelming majority of sanctions remain in place. Iran remains to be cut off from the International Financial system and is largely unable to attract foreign investments. Iran is still shut out of the United States, the Worlds Largest and most vibrant economy and is precluded from transactions involving the dollar. There are nearly 680 sanctions. Developed with partners around the world. Throughout the. Throughout this time, we have all actually reinforced the sanctions. How important maintaining the pressure will continue to be during this extension joint plan of action. Since this was started, we have imposed sanctions on more than 60 people and businesses around the world. For supporting terrorism and abusing human rights. Throughout this time, we will continue to make certain through word and deed, that banks, businesses, brokers, and others understand that iran is not open for business. And iran will not be open for business unless and until it assures the International Immunity of the peaceful nature of its Nuclear Program. While this four Month Program will provide additional time and space for negotiations to proceed, it will not change the basic fact that iran has not receded. Over the next four months, my colleagues and i and treasury and throughout the administration will continue to echo obamas message. Thats we will come down like a ton of bricks on those who seek to evade our sanctions that will provide our negotiators leverage as we explored the longterm resolution against Irans Nuclear program. I am happy to respond to any questions. Thank you. Before i get to the negotiation questions, i do have a question for you madame secretary, about the detention of a Washington Post correspondent in tehran. I understand he is of duels citizenship of the United States, and his wife, arrested at their home last tuesday. Since their arrest, no one has heard from them. Two u. S. Citizens working as photographers are also being held. To my knowledge, and no charges have been brought and the detainees have no access to legal counsel. Can you tell me what we are doing in this regard . Thank you for raising this. It is a great concern to all of us. We are concerned about Robert Levinson also, who has been missing for a very long time and we believe is in iran. We have used appropriate channels principally the swiss to make known our concern about this detention of american journalists it the wife, and the additional photojournalists. There is no reason for this to occur. I read with interest the Washington Post editorial, for which i entirely agree, we are a country that believes in press freedom. This is a reporter who has been reporting for some time. He had been invited and a with us, and fact, during the negotiations. We call on iran to release all of these people. To help us in every way to return Robert Levinson home as well. Thank you for raising this. We will use every channel we have, mr. Chairman, to continue to bring citizens own. More than raising it, i am concerned when u. S. Citizens are detained by the iranian government. I do not understand in the case of this reporter, because reading his articles, it seemed rather, i will not say favorable but certainly balanced in his reporting. So in the midst of negotiations how is it that iranians detain u. S. Citizens for what is, from all apparent purposes, nothing of any great consequence . I do not get it. I do not get it. I do not get the ayatollah talking about 190,000 centrifuges at a time when we are trying to reduce the centrifuges. Even if you do not have a timespecific 100 centrifuges 100,000 centrifuges is he on the pale of what we need. We understand very clearly that actions like these undermine whatever negotiating is going on at the table. Let me ask you, with reference to something that i think should have been a condition of precedents that you and i have discussed. Which is the military the possible military of irans military or graham. I look at it as a measurement for the future. If you do not know what irans military program was, you do not know through which point they have progressed that will cause us concern that they are at a point may be farther along than anyone suspects and a short jump towards being able to militarize their Nuclear Program for Nuclear Weapons. So and i think the world wouldve looked at these negotiations and a total different way if that had been established up front. My understanding from public reports, forget about private briefings, is that too they are incredibly reticent to come clean on this issue. So, what option