Congress to Establish Task Force to Monitor Iran's Nuclear Program

US Capitol Building (AFP)
US Capitol Building (AFP)
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Congress to Establish Task Force to Monitor Iran's Nuclear Program

US Capitol Building (AFP)
US Capitol Building (AFP)

The US Congress approved the inclusion of provisions from the Iran Nuclear Weapons Capability Monitoring Act of 2022, with bipartisan support to establish a State Department-led joint task force to monitor and regularly provide reports to Congress regarding Iran's nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The lawmakers approved the bill noting that the task force shall submit a detailed report to the appropriate congressional committees every four months, including accurate information on the uranium enrichment program, the storage of nuclear materials, armament, and the missile program, that would pose a threat to US targets.

The bill has been included in next year's defense budget to be approved by Congress this week, ensuring decisive approval.

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez welcomed the law's inclusion in the defense budget, saying the inclusion of the legislation to better track Iran's nuclear efforts in the NDAA is an important step forward as the US continues to look for creative ways to address Iran's illicit nuclear program fully.

The senator stressed the importance of the project, noting that its approval would contribute to boosting efforts to prevent Tehran from becoming a nuclear weapons state and potentially igniting a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous tinderbox in the world.

For his part, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called on the US government to stay "focused on monitoring Iranian nuclear ambitions."

Graham said the extra monitoring would make it harder for Iran to break out in a nuclear fashion.

Project details

The draft requires the Secretary of State to form a task force that includes officials from the State Department, Intelligence, and the Ministry of Energy, specialized in monitoring Iran's nuclear program, provided that it submits an immediate report to Congress within 72 hours of the receipt of intelligence on the development in the nuclear weapons capabilities.

The bill requires the administration to submit an annual "comprehensive plan for engaging with allies and regional partners" in all relevant multilateral fora to address such nuclear weapons and missile activities.

It must also include a description of a coordinated whole-of-government approach to use political, economic, and security-related tools to address such activities.

The unclassified portion of the report required shall be made available to the public on an internet website of the Department of State.

The bill clearly stated that Congress should push for any necessary steps to ensure that the Iranian Republic does not develop a nuclear weapons capability, referring to the military option that the administration did not rule out in its recent statements.

The lawmakers' request is not limited to Iran only but extends to its regional agents and destabilizing activities to provide Congress with a clear picture of Iran's malign activities at the domestic and international levels.

It also includes drone development activities and details of the United States' efforts to counter Iran's political and military influence.



Russia Launches Nearly 150 Drones against Ukraine as Trump Doubts Putin's Desire for Peace

FILE PHOTO: Servicemen of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Leopard 1A5 tank during a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Servicemen of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Leopard 1A5 tank during a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Russia Launches Nearly 150 Drones against Ukraine as Trump Doubts Putin's Desire for Peace

FILE PHOTO: Servicemen of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Leopard 1A5 tank during a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Servicemen of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Leopard 1A5 tank during a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Russia launched a sweeping drone assault and airstrikes across Ukraine overnight into Sunday, killing at least four people, officials said, after US President Donald Trump cast doubt over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to end the war.
Three people died and four were wounded Sunday morning in airstrikes on Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, the regional prosecutor's office said. Another person died and a 14-year-old girl was wounded in a drone attack on the city of Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which was hit for the third consecutive night, local Gov. Serhii Lysak said.
The attacks came hours after Russia claimed to have regained control over the remaining parts of the Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise incursion last August. Ukrainian officials said the fighting in Kursk was still ongoing.
Trump said Saturday that he doubts Putin wants to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “ very close to a deal.”
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.
The Trump-Zelenskyy conversation on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at the White House in late February.
Russia fired 149 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks, the Ukrainian air force said, adding that 57 were intercepted and another 67 jammed.
One person was wounded in drone attacks on the Odesa region and one other in the city of Zhytomyr. Four people were also wounded in a Russian airstrike on the city of Kherson on Sunday morning, according to local officials.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that air defenses shot down five Ukrainian drones in the border region of Bryansk, as well as three drones over the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Five people were wounded when Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Horlivka in the partially occupied Donetsk region, the city’s Russian-installed Mayor Ivan Prikhodko said.