House Foreign Affairs Committee, Washington, 14 Jan 2012 – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today spoke in favor of two bills which she authored to expand and strengthen U.S. sanctions on the Iranian regime. The Iran Threat Reduction Act (H.R. 1905) and the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Modernization and Reform Act (H.R. 2105) were debated by the House of Representatives earlier today, and are expected to pass the House later this week.
The following are excerpts from Ros-Lehtinen’s remarks on H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011:
“Our fundamental strategic objective must be to stop Iran before it obtains nuclear weapons capabilities, and to compel it to permanently dismantle its pursuit of such weapons. That is the test we face, and if we fail, it will come as no consolation to the families of the victims of past and future Iranian attacks, or to our allies. We don’t know how much time we have left.”
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“It is time to build on this lesson learned and apply crippling sanctions against the regime and its enablers. That is the purpose of the Iran Threat Reduction Act, which our Foreign Affairs Committee adopted unanimously last month. This legislation updates and replaces previous Iran sanctions laws so that the U.S. can take effective action to address the multiple threats posed by the regime in Tehran. This bill closes loopholes in energy and financial sanctions that are in place now and counters the regime’s efforts to evade them, including by targeting the Central Bank of Iran. The bill also focuses on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and senior Iranian regime officials. Over 350 Members of Congress have cosponsored this strongly bipartisan legislation. Let us meet our responsibilities to the American people and protect the security of our nation from this growing threat.”
Ros-Lehtinen’s full statements on H.R. 1905 are available here .
The following are excerpts from Ros-Lehtinen’s remarks on H.R. 2105, the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act of 2011:
“But the proliferation efforts of North Korea, Iran, and Syria are by no means limited to nuclear weapons. There is an active trade between these countries in advanced conventional weapons as well, including ballistic missiles. In 2010, an aircraft loaded with North Korean conventional weapons was intercepted in Thailand reportedly on its way to Iran, in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. And there have been several interdictions of Iranian weapons reportedly destined for Syria. Clearly, these represent just the tip of the iceberg. These weapons are not intended to be placed in storage. They will be used against us and against our allies.
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“North Korea has continued to violently assault our ally South Korea, repeatedly attacking its military forces out of the blue and murdering civilians almost at will. And it is throwing vast resources into developing weapons capable of striking U.S. targets, the latest being a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, which could eventually be added to its list of items for sale.
“We are witnessing the Syrian regime shooting down its own people in the streets. Allowing Assad and his thugs access to nuclear technology could exponentially multiply his regime’s ability to spread destruction far beyond its borders. We know that Iran has no problem striking down innocent people in that country who dare to stand up to the regime.
“And Tehran continues to be a leading State Sponsor of Terrorism, providing weapons, money, and support to terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and even al-Qaeda. That means preventing any and every part of this proliferation network from gaining access to the weapons they need to threaten anyone is of utmost importance.”
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H.R. 2105 seeks to cut-off the supply networks to Iran, Syria, and North Korea. It updates and strengthens measures to prevent the proliferation of goods, services, or technology regarding nuclear, biological, chemical, and other advanced weapons, such as ballistic missiles. It expands sanctions on individuals, businesses, and countries engaged in assisting proliferation, embracing financial transactions, property, and visas, among many other penalties. It also imposes restrictions on nuclear cooperation with countries that are assisting the nuclear programs of Iran, North Korea, or Syria– because no country that is helping an enemy of the U.S. should receive any help from us.”