We take you live now to a discussion . Progress object press freedom and the circumstances surrounding u. S. Journalist austin tice and Evan Gershkovich who were both apprehended while reporting abroad. Live coverage here on cspan2. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] its a little past 9 00 so if everyone begins to take their seat, we can begin in just a minute. [inaudible conversations] thank you all so much and welcome to the National Press club. Im emily wilkins, the 117th president of the National Press club and for cnbc. Thank you for joining us on this incredibly important topic. The first World Press Freedom day took place not the first one, but the first one in the u. S. Took place in the National Press club in 2011 so were grateful for those of you who joined us both in person and online today. On one hand its an exciting time all ov
[inaudible conversations] thank you all so much and welcome to the National Press club. Im emily wilkins, the 117th president of the National Press club and for cnbc. Thank you for joining us on this incredibly important topic. The first World Press Freedom day took place not the first one, but the first one in the u. S. Took place in the National Press club in 2011 so were grateful for those of you who joined us both in person and online today. On one hand its an exciting time all over the world giving important and moving speeches. Some in santiago, chile and all over the world. Well get the latest information on the three u. S. Journalists who are wrongfully being held overseas, you know their names. Austin tice, who works for the Washington Post has been held for nearly 12 years now in syria. Evan gershkovich, a wall street journal reporter taken in russia one year and two months ago and alsu kurmasheva, editor at Radio Free Europe, who has been held in russia for more than six mon
To take out the facilities and who has actually deployed that weapon, but iran has already mastered the fuel cycle. They have mastered the ability to produce significant stockpiles of fissile material and you cant bomb away that knowledge any more than you can sanction it away. I was chair of the committee when we a lot of us joined together and put most of the iran sanctions in place, and i know well as you do that the whole point was to bring iran to the negotiating table. Even the toughest sanctions previously did not stop irans program from growing from 1 163 to 300 to 5,000 to more than 19,000 now, and it didnt stop iran from accumulating a stockpile of enriched uranium. Now sanctions are not an end to themselves. They are a diplomatic tool that has enabled us to do what sanctions could not without the negotiation, and that is to reign in a Nuclear Program that was headed in a very dangerous direction and to shine a spot light on it to watch it like no other Nuclear Program has ev
And one of the reasons they oppose this agreement, and i invite you to talk to the Intel Community about that is that they see themselves losing the cover of the Nuclear Umbrella that they had hoped to have for their that fair rows activities. Theres nothing here to prevent us from bushing back going forward. Were all free to Work Together to build the pushback against the destabilizing activities. But let me ask you a simple question, is iran empowered more destabilizing the region with a Nuclear Weapon or stripped of that ability with an International Agreement it has to live up to, and us coming in underneath with a whole set of other security arrangements and pushback . I think the answer is crystal cheer. You asked what happens with respect to year 15. Under the modified 3. 1 code, please focus on what happens. Theres not some sudden breakoff at the end of 15 years. They are under remarkable restraints specifically the comprehensive safeguards agreement they have to negotiate with
But there are not many countries that recognize hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Israel and the United States does but most of the world doesnt recognize hezbollah as a terrorist organization. And however much they may mislike hezbollah and iran supports hezbollah at the moment you have to think in real politics. What is the alternative now in damascus . We may not like assad, or hezbollah, but the gentlemen in congress, would they rather have the jihadist caliphate in damascus . Because if there was no hezbollah and iranian support for assad all right. Lets put syria aside, because thats a very sticky issue to get into. Other issues that have been brought up by congressmen and women in the chamber, is should it bother the u. S. That there are still hard liners that dont believe that israel should exist, that there are still regular death to america rallies in tehran. There are those voices. But of course there are voices in america that call for the destruction of the Islamic Re