House Foreign Affairs Committee, Washington, 9 Nov 2011 – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that today’s report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran has been working on a nuclear weapon for many years demonstrates that the U.S. and other responsible nations must take quick action to stop the regime before it acquires nuclear weapons capabilities.
Ros-Lehtinen urged passage of two new Iran sanctions bills recently approved by the Committee. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
“The IAEA report that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon is further proof that the U.S. and other responsible nations must take decisive action to stop the regime from acquiring a nuclear capability.
“The report reveals that Iran has made extensive efforts to obtain nuclear-related equipment and materials, acquire information related to nuclear weapons development from a clandestine nuclear supply network, and worked on designing a nuclear weapon and testing key components.
“We are close to running out of time. And yet, for years, successive Administrations have refused to fully implement the laws already on the books.
“Recently, Iran’s Ahmadinejad admitted publicly that those sanctions that are being applied are bringing strong pressure against the regime.
“Congress can ratchet up that pressure by passing two new bills targeting Iran which were recently unanimously adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I am optimistic that the House will soon debate and pass my two bills and that the President will sign them into law. These sanctions bills strike at Iran’s energy sector, the regime’s Achilles’ heel. If fully implemented, they have the potential to cripple the regime’s ability to continue its nuclear program.
“If the Iranian regime acquires nuclear weapons capabilities, the U.S., Israel, and our other allies in the region and around the world will face an unimaginable threat to our security. The clock is ticking.”
BACKGROUND: The IAEA report on Iran is the first to provide extensive evidence on Iran’s nuclear weapons program and to conclude that Tehran has been working on a nuclear device for many years.
NOTE: H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act, was coauthored by Ros-Lehtinen and U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the Committee, and was unanimously adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on November 2nd. It updates and replaces previous Iran sanctions laws to ensure that current law vigorously addresses the multiple threats posed by Iran. The bill closes loopholes in energy and financial sanctions and counters the regime’s efforts to evade them. The bill also targets the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and senior Iranian regime officials.
H.R. 2105, the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act., was coauthored by Ros-Lehtinen and U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, and expands sanctions on those assisting Iran, North Korea, and Syria in the development of their weapons programs, including their nuclear programs. This bill was also unanimously adopted by the Committee on November 2nd.