By Ceena Modarres, AIC Research Associate

As the Senate nears its August recess, the debate over the nuclear agreement between the P5+1 and Iran shows no signs of slowing. Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard testimony from the Institute for Science and International Security’s Mr. David Albright, the National Institute for Public Policy’s Ambassador Robert G. Joseph, Ph.D., and Harvard’s Dr. Gary Samore on a number of issues related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The committee was preparing for a confidential meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano Wednesday, thus much of the hearing focused on the role of the IAEA in the JCPOA. In fact, ranking Member Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) explicitly asked the witnesses: “what questions should we be asking the Director General [tomorrow]?