Matthew Napoli, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation office in the National Nuclear Security Administration, said he is committed to working with allies to prevent state and nonstate actors, including Iran, from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“We know there are discussions about the Iranian nuclear program, and we’re also very aware of the verification challenges under the JCPA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action],” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said to Napoli while Napoli testified to the committee.
Wicker, who pointed out that Trump was in Oman this week dealing with the fourth round of negotiations with Iran, referred to the verification system the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) uses to ensure Iran is abiding by its nuclear commitments and is not building a nuclear weapon.
“I fully support the IAEA’s efforts for a comprehensive safeguards agreement,” Napoli responded. “Verification is the heart of nonproliferation, and I think we should all strive to meet those broader nonproliferation norms.”
Napoli said in his prepared answers that if confirmed, one of his priorities would be “to support a whole-of-government solution to the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs.”
“In my current capacity, I am not privy to intelligence assessments on this issue,” Napoli wrote. “However, I view Iran’s nuclear program as a major threat to U.S. national security, and I believe Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
Trump himself said in the Oval Office last week he had not decided if he will allow Iran to enrich uranium in a nuclear deal, while Vice President JD Vance said Tehran “can have civilian nuclear power.”
Meanwhile, Republican senators introduced a resolution last week demanding the “complete dismantlement and destruction of Iran’s nuclear program,” followed by a nuclear cooperation, or 1-2-3 agreement. The dismantlement would require Tehran to “forgo domestic uranium enrichment, the reprocessing of spent fuel, and the development or possession of any enrichment or reprocessing infrastructure or capacity.”
As of Wednesday, the U.S. reportedly presented Iran with a proposed nuclear deal that top Iranian officials are ready to sign. The deal would include forgoing highly enriched uranium and enriching only to lower levels for civilian use, all under supervision of international inspectors for verification, in exchange for lifted economic sanctions.
