As we assess the growing threats emanating from Iran, Syria, and North Korea, this timely hearing will examine the options available to confront these regimes. We know Assad has a chemical weapon stockpile and we know that it once had a nuclear reactor built with the assistance of North Korea until it was destroyed supposedly by an Israeli airstrike. Iran’s Quds Force and Hezbollah operatives are working to ensure that Assad remains in power which iterates our need to take a strong position against the Iranian regime. In North Korea, Pyongyang has written the playbook on how to proceed with a nuclear program while still gaining concessions from the United States. The U.S. must demand that Iran, Syria, and North Korea allow IAEA inspectors to immediately inspect and have access to all nuclear facilities and stockpiles to ensure their safety. If these three rogue regimes, this triangle of proliferation, are allowed to continue on their current paths, it will lead to a global nuclear arms race.
