DODD ON IRAN: “WE MUST NOT LET UP NOW”

WASHINGTON – Today Senate Banking Chris Dodd (D-CT) held a hearing to discuss US policy options for dealing with Iran, including those contained in comprehensive sanctions legislation Chairman Dodd announced last week. 

 

“Increased international pressure and the specter of biting sanctions are clearly what have brought Iran to the table for substantive talks,” said Dodd.  “Worldwide condemnation of Tehran’s secret enrichment activities, its human rights abuses and post-election crackdown has unified the international community to intensify the pressure on Iran’s leaders.”

 

“We must not let up now.  I intend to move forward in this Committee this month on comprehensive sanctions legislation. I am committed, as I think my colleagues are as well, to ensuring that this Congress equips this President with all of the tools he needs to confront the threats posed by Iran.”

           

“Just as last year, we will incorporate the best of our Senate colleagues’ contributions into one original Committee bill, including: 

·         penalties on companies that support Iran’s import of refined petroleum products or bolstering its domestic capacity, as advanced by Senators Bayh, Lieberman, and Kyl;

·         the authorization for state and local governments to divest from companies involved in critical business with Iran, sponsored by our colleagues who are here today, Senators Brownback and Casey. 

·         In addition,  our legislation will further tighten our trade embargo on Iran; enhance Treasury’s mandate to freeze assets tied to Iran’s terrorist and proliferation activities;

·         and help cut off Iran’s access to the most sensitive and advanced technology available, through tougher export controls on these  products sent to Iran through its blackmarket trading partners.”

 

“I would hope our legislation will complement, and I believe it will, and reinforce ongoing diplomatic efforts, and send a very, very clear signal to Iran’s leaders of what’s in store if they continue to defy the will of the international community,”  Dodd concluded.

 

The Banking Committee heard from Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Robert Casey (D-PA), Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg, Treasury Department Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart A. Levey, and Department of Commerce Acting Undersecretary for Industry and Security Daniel O. Hill.

 

 

 

 

“Today we confront a serious threat to our nation’s security and global stability: the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran.”

 

“If Iran were to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, it would pose, I think all of us agree, a serious threat to peace and security in the Middle East, especially to our closest friend in the region, Israel.  Not to mention ourselves and others as well.”

 

“At our last Iran hearing in July, Senator Shelby and I agreed to hear from the Obama administration before moving forward on sanctions legislation.  Much, of course, has happened in that time.”

 

“Last week in Geneva, after revealing another covert uranium enrichment facility in Iran, the Administration held its first diplomatic meetings with Iran and the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany.”

 

“Under Secretary of State William Burns met one-on-one with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.”

 

“This dialogue demonstrated the United States’ commitment, in my view, to pursuing every avenue to push Iran to come clean on its nuclear program and abide by international non-proliferation commitments.”

 

“President Obama described the talks as a ‘constructive beginning’:  participants agreed to follow-up talks later this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency is to be granted access to Iran’s uranium enrichment site at Qum, and Iran has indicated a willingness, in principle, to export low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for processing for medical uses.”

 

“Whether Tehran will keep these commitments or if they will prove to be yet another stall tactic to avoid tougher sanctions obviously remains to be seen.”

 

“And, the situation is increasingly urgent, I think as many would agree —over the weekend, the New York Times reported that IAEA scientists believe Iran has enough sensitive data to assemble a nuclear weapon.”

 

“Ultimately, we will only succeed if Iran’s leaders are persuaded to cooperate or face sustained, progressively intensifying multilateral economic and diplomatic pressure on their government–including tougher sanctions.”

 

“They must make a clear choice: come clean on their nuclear program, suspend enrichment, and stop supporting terrorists around the world or continue to deepen their international isolation.”

 

“Increased international pressure and the specter of biting sanctions are clearly what have brought Iran to the table for substantive talks, in my view.”

 

“Worldwide condemnation of Tehran’s secret enrichment activities, its human rights abuses and post-election crackdown have unified the international community to intensify the pressure on Iran’s leaders.”

 

“We must not let up now.”

 

“I intend to move forward in this Committee, this month, on comprehensive sanctions legislation. I am committed, as I think my colleagues are as well, to ensuring that this Congress equips this President with all of the tools he needs to confront the threats posed by Iran.”

           

“Just as last year, we will incorporate the best of our Senate colleagues’ contributions into one original Committee bill, including: 

·         penalties on companies that support Iran’s import of refined petroleum products or bolstering its domestic capacity, as advanced by Senators Bayh, Lieberman, and Kyl;

·         the authorization for state and local governments to divest from companies involved in critical business with Iran, sponsored by our colleagues who are here today, Senators Brownback and Casey. 

·         In addition,  our legislation will further tighten our trade embargo on Iran; enhance Treasury’s mandate to freeze assets tied to Iran’s terrorist and proliferation activities;

·         and help cut off Iran’s access to the most sensitive and advanced technology available, through tougher export controls on these  products sent to Iran through its blackmarket trading partners.”

 

“I would hope our legislation will complement, and I believe it will, and reinforce ongoing diplomatic efforts, and send a very, very clear signal to Iran’s leaders of what’s in store if they continue to defy the will of the international community.”

 

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