Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, today world leaders are meeting in Geneva to negotiate an agreement that could lead to the elimination or reduction in the threat of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. This is a good thing. The goal of the negotiations is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, particularly those in the possession of or that could potentially be developed by Iran. We don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. We ourselves are trying to reduce stockpiles, so negotiations to prevent that are squarely within the United States national security interests.

The American people support these negotiations. A new Washington Post poll shows that Americans want a negotiated deal with Iran by a 2-1 margin. The alternative to negotiation is not good. In fact, it could lead to war. Americans do not want another war. Therefore, negotiations are the right way to handle this particular problem with regard to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Support negotiations. We support them, and hope they succeed.

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