Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and architect of the recent economic and political sanctions against Iran, reiterated the dangers of Iran's nuclear program and the threat it poses to the national security of the United States, our ally Israel, and the international community at a press conference last Thursday where he announced the introduction of a bipartisan resolution (S. Res. 65) with Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and commented on the status of the p-5+1 talks between the international community and Iran.

The Graham-Menendez resolution reiterates that the policy of the United States is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability; supports the full implementation and enforcement of United States and international sanctions on Iran; underscores the U.S. commitment to the existence, survival, and security of the State of Israel; and reaffirms the United States' support for Israel's right to self-defense.

Senator Menendez said: "Deterring Iran's nuclear program, is in my mind, one of the most significant national security interests of the United States. I want to reiterate my strong concerns about Iran's nuclear program, the threat it poses to the United States, to Israel, and to the entire international community. We hope there is real progress in a negotiated solution and that the follow up in the weeks ahead can lead to a breakthrough, but we must be clear that the negotiations cannot just become a stalling mechanism for Iran to buy time. This resolution makes clear our commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability and to supporting the State of Israel as it relates to its self defense."

Senate Cosponsors:

Sen Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH]

Sen Begich, Mark [D-AK]

Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

Sen Blunt, Roy [R-MO]

Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]

Sen Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]

Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]

Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]

Sen Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]

Sen Cornyn, John [R-TX]

Sen Crapo, Mike [R-ID]

Sen Donnelly, Joe [D-IN]

Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]

Sen Hoeven, John [R-ND]

Sen Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]

Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]

Sen Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV]

Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]

Sen Portman, Rob [R-OH]

Sen Rubio, Marco [R-FL]

Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]

Sen Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

His remarks at the press conference can be found here: http://youtu.be/zLJFXz9BZf0

The Resolution can be found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c113:S.RES.65:

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