At United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), we are deeply concerned about whether the Geneva Joint Plan of Action (the "Joint Plan" or "Interim Agreement") will advance U.S. national security and foreign policy goals. While we sincerely hope that a comprehensive and verifiable agreement that rolls back Iran's nuclear program is reached in 6 months, the prospects appear dim at best.

The Joint Plan has provided disproportionate sanctions relief to Iran, and given that Tehran will not dismantle a single centrifuge, Iran has not rolled back its nuclear infrastructure. With the thousands of centrifuges that it is currently operating and has installed, Iran will retain, even if it abides by the full terms of the agreement, the ability to breakout and produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear weapon in as little as 2 months. At the same time, the carefully constructed sanctions architecture developed over decades has been significantly rolled back.

The question today for all of us – members of this committee and all of the Congress – is what would be an acceptable scope and size of Iran's enrichment program and whether we will permit Iran to operate the heavy water reactor at Arak. Iran claims that its program is peaceful in nature and that it is solely for civilian nuclear energy and medical purposes. To be clear, if Iran truly only sought a civilian and peaceful nuclear energy program, there would be zero need for any enrichment capacity or the heavy water reactor. Many countries have peaceful nuclear energy programs without engaging in enrichment nor operating heavy water reactors. The international community seems to have all too quickly forgotten there are multiple UN Security Council Resolutions calling for Iran to suspend all enrichment. Regrettably, the Geneva Joint Plan seems to declare that in any final accord, Iran will be permitted to enrich and is at best vague regarding the future of the IR-40 heavy water reactor at Arak.