Jerusalem, Israel – On a visit to Jerusalem this week, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commented on reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has refused to publish evidence that Iran is “pursuing information about weaponization efforts and a military nuclear program.”Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen stated “Instead of preventing nuclear proliferation, it appears that an increasingly politicized IAEA may be concealing evidence of just that by the Iranian regime…Worse yet, U.S. funds are also being used by the IAEA to provide nuclear assistance to Iran and other rogue regimes.”
She went on to say that “The IAEA must immediately release all evidence of Iran’s nuclear activities, and Congress should pass pending legislation that stops U.S. taxpayer dollars from indirectly bankrolling Iran’s nuclear program.”
Background: Ros-Lehtinen is the author of the Stop Nuclear Assistance to State Sponsors of Terrorism Act (H.R. 3107), which includes provisions to withhold U.S. funding to the IAEA for technical cooperation assistance to regimes that are designated state sponsors of terrorism or are in breach – or suspected breach – of their nonproliferation obligations and IAEA commitments.
The IAEA would not respond to the allegations raised by Congresswoman Ros- Lehtinen.