Democratic and Republican lawmakers have reintroduced a bill aimed at monitoring Iran’s nuclear program.
Rep. Senator Lindsey Graham announced the inclusion of the Iran Nuclear Weapons Capability Monitoring Act of 2022 - which he had submitted with Dem. Senator Bob Menendez earlier this year - in the Defense Department funding budget.
Introduced in July 2022, the Iran Nuclear Weapons Capability Monitoring Act establishes a task force to monitor the nuclear weapons and missile capabilities of Iran and obliges the US administration to submit periodic reports to Congress on the status of Iran’s nuclear program.
The legislation also requires that the US Secretary of State “submit an annual diplomatic strategy for engaging with partners and allies of the United States regarding the nuclear weapons and missile activities of Iran that will include: a description of efforts of the United States to counter efforts of Iran to project political and military influence; a description of a coordinated whole-of-government approach to use political, economic, and security-related tools to address such activities; and a comprehensive plan for engaging with allies and regional partners in all relevant multilateral fora to address such activities.”
Menendez emphasized the need for the Congress “to obtain regular information regarding Iran’s nuclear activities.”
“With Iran’s unrelenting support of terrorism, its overmatching missile programs, and defiance in the face of international censure, there is no reason why the US Congress should not receive the most up to date information about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities or the Administration’s diplomatic efforts to address the threats posed by them. That is exactly what this bill will do,” he stated.
For his part, Graham said: “No matter what happens with the Iran nuclear negotiations, we must monitor the Iranian nuclear program like a hawk.”
