WASHINGTON (CN) - President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would cut $10 billion from the State Department. A House Democrat warned fellow lawmakers Wednesday that the 29 percent slash could interfere with the inspections that ensure Iran is not developing nuclear weapons.
Addressing a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Rep. Stephen Lynch noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency relies on the United States, as its largest contributor, for 25 percent of its funding. The State Department is responsible for this $200 million a year.
To continue monitoring Iran's nuclear program, however, the Massachusetts Democrat quoted IAEA director general Yukiya Amano as saying that the agency needs about $400 million added to its 2018 operating budget.
Against this push, most of the five experts who testified before the Subcommittee on National Security had a dim view of the deal.
"Unfortunately, with the lifting of sanctions that accompanies the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, Tehran’s resourcing of its proxy forces has continued unrestricted," retired Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero said.
With the world focused on the Islamic State group, Barbero warned that Iran has taken advantage of the nuclear agreement to have its proxies in Lebanon and Iraq create "a permanent zone of control that surrounds Israel with hostile forces.”
The general belongs to a camp that believes Iran is likely cheating on the nuclear agreement, empowering Iranian proxies to further destabilize the region, particularly in Syria and Iraq.
"The most aggressive and most effectively subversive forces in the region remain those controlled and resourced by the Islamic Republic of Iran," Barbero said.
Jim Walsh, with the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, downplayed these fears.
"Iran is not 10 feet tall," he said. "It's not the Soviet Union, it's not even the most powerful country in its own region. By my estimation, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia are all far stronger by GDP, military expenditures, quality of weapons - if it's fourth, it's lucky."
Walsh said Iran is in compliance with the deal, and has been for all three years of its implementation.
Among the diverse governments and international observers that support this conclusion are the IAEA, the U.S. intelligence community, the Israeli military and U.S. partners in the deal - Britain, France, Germany and the EU.
"Moreover, no party to the agreement has gone to the UNSC or even threatened to go to the UN to claim that Iran is in material breach of its obligations," he added.
"Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons, not yet and won't for 15 years," Walsh said. "I frankly think it's going to be a lot longer than that."
Others had a less optimistic view on the deal's long-term promise.