Iran’s nuclear ambitions, its destabilizing presence in the Middle East, and its “abysmal” human rights record present challenges to the United States, Wendy Sherman, the State Department’s undersecretary for political affairs, told Senate lawmakers. As such, the United States continues to pursue resolutions and additional actions with the United Nations “to deal with Iran,” work with multilateral organizations, and ensure its force posture is appropriately sized to deal with any Iranian threat, all while pursing “virtual diplomacy” with the Iranian people, said Sherman during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 15. “Every day, every bureau in the Department of State, and dare I say, in virtually every other department in our government, has their eye on Iran,” said Sherman. “We’re making clear that Iran’s international legitimacy and the end of their isolation depends on the choice(s) Iran’s leaders are facing right now: change course or continue to pay the cost of intransigence,” she said. (Sherman prepared testimony)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
