BALTIMORE – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senator Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the announced extension of P5+1 Iran negotiations:

“The only successful outcome is where Iran is no longer a nuclear threat, where Iran has dismantled its nuclear infrastructure, limited its nuclear research and submitted to verifiable inspections without notice. This result is best achieved through diplomacy.

“A year ago, Congress gave the administration the benefit of the doubt and put even more severe sanctions on hold as negotiations pushed forward. To its credit, the administration has kept an international sanctions regime in place and slowed Iran’s breakout capacity.

“I am concerned about yet another extension of the negotiations without a commitment by Iran to a satisfactory agreement. An indefinite status quo – limited sanctions relief with no sign of a final agreement – cannot be the end result.  Additional time may very well be used by Iran to harden their defenses and their resolve to become a nuclear weapon state.”

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