Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Statement at Iran Sanctions House-Senate Conference Committee

(WASHINGTON, DC)– Today we are confronted with an issue that has far-reaching implications for the security of America and its allies. Iran, under the leadership of the mercurial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, continues to aggressively pursue a nuclear weapons program that threatens the security of America and our allies in the Middle East. At a time when we are engaged in two wars in the region, Iran’s actions do not help – and in fact harm – efforts to make the Persian Gulf safer and end the specter of state-sponsored terrorism.

What we seek in this bill is not to harm the Iranian people, but to put strong constraints on the Iranian regime. We should of course proceed with caution, and we are. Iran is still not fulfilling its international obligations, and we must act accordingly. Last year, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice acknowledged this point and outlined several concerns. She pointed out that findings in a recent U.N. report that indicate Iran's nuclear program “has military dimensions” are “troubling.” In addition, she stated to a U.N. Security Council subcommittee that deals with enforcement of sanctions against Iran, “Iran also still refuses to respond constructively to IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] questions about its past work to develop a nuclear weapons capability.” Such non-cooperation with the international community has always been very troubling, and is increasingly so as Iran continues its efforts towards nuclear proliferation. I am encouraged by the Obama Administration’s efforts to pursue greater multilateral cooperation. However, it is unfortunate that while President Obama has made repeated diplomatic overtures to the Iranians, he has been rebuffed at every turn. Because all options need to be on the table, we must to move forward with this important bill.

This Congress has the chance to enact a sanctions enabling act that will cripple the ability of the Iranian regime to finance belligerent activities. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2009 would place economic pressure on the Iranian regime with the goal of halting Iran’s nuclear program. This divestment bill is designed to persuade foreign companies from investing in energy operations whose profits could be used to threaten the United States and our allies. This legislation recognizes the right and maximizes the ability of Americans to speak out through their investment decisions about their opposition to many aspects of Iranian activities.

While I strongly believe that multilateral diplomatic negotiations are essential to curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, this bill is an important step towards strengthening security in the Persian Gulf for America and its allies. It is absolutely vital that the international community does not tolerate a rogue nuclear state in the Persian Gulf, and therefore I strongly support the efforts of this Congress to pass a tough sanctions bill.