[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3743 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3743

To withhold voluntary proportional assistance for programs and projects 
 of the International Atomic Energy Agency relating to the development 
  and completion of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 29, 1998

 Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Wexler, Mr. 
    Sherman, Mr. Andrews, Mr. King, Mr. Maloney of Connecticut, Mr. 
Schumer, Mr. Frost, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Towns, 
   Mr. Metcalf, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode 
 Island, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Rothman, 
  Mr. Waxman, and Mr. Goode) introduced the following bill; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To withhold voluntary proportional assistance for programs and projects 
 of the International Atomic Energy Agency relating to the development 
  and completion of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Iran Nuclear Proliferation 
Prevention Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Iran remains the world's leading sponsor of 
        international terrorism and is on the Department of State's 
        list of countries that provide support for acts of 
        international terrorism.
            (2) Iran has repeatedly called for the destruction of 
        Israel and Iran supports organizations, such as Hizballah, 
        Hamas, and the Palestine Islamic Jihad, which are responsible 
        for terrorist attacks against Israel.
            (3) Iranian officials have stated their intent to complete 
        at least 3 nuclear power plants by 2015 and are currently 
        working to complete the Bushehr nuclear power plant located on 
        the Persian Gulf coast with the help of the International 
        Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
            (4) The United States has publicly opposed the completion 
        of reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power plant because the 
        transfer of civilian nuclear technology and training could help 
        to advance Iran's nuclear weapons program.
            (5) In an April 1997 hearing before the Subcommittee on 
        Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs of the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Director of the Central 
        Intelligence Agency stated that through the operation of the 
        nuclear power reactor at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran 
        will develop substantial expertise relevant to the development 
        of nuclear weapons.
            (6) Construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant was 
        halted following the 1979 revolution in Iran because the former 
        West Germany refused to assist in the completion the plant due 
        to concerns that completion of the plant could provide Iran 
        with expertise and technology which could advance Iran's 
        nuclear weapons program.
            (7) Iran is building up its offensive military capacity in 
        other areas as evidenced by its recent testing of engines for 
        ballistic missiles capable of carrying 2,200 pound warheads 
        more than 800 miles, within range of strategic targets in 
        Israel.
            (8) In January 1995 Iran signed a $780,000,000 contract 
        with the Russian Federation for Atomic Energy (MINATOM) to 
        complete two VVER-1000 pressurized-light water reactors at the 
        Bushehr nuclear power plant and possibly to provide 2 modern 
        VVER-440 units.
            (9) In March of 1998, Russia confirmed its intention to 
        complete work on the two reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power 
        plant and agreed in principle to the construction of 2 more 
        reactors at the Bushehr site.
            (10) At least 1 reactor could be operational by the year 
        2000 and it would subsequently provide Iran with substantial 
        expertise to advance its nuclear weapons program.
            (11) Iran ranks 19th among the 120 nations receiving 
        assistance from the technical cooperation program of the 
        International Atomic Energy Agency.
            (12) Between 1995 and 1999, the International Atomic Energy 
        Agency has provided and is expected to provide a total of 
        $1,300,000 through its technical cooperation program for the 
        development and completion of reactors at the Bushehr nuclear 
        power plant.
            (13) The United States provides annual contributions to the 
        International Atomic Energy Agency which total more than 25 
        percent of the annual budget of the Agency and the United 
        States also provides annual voluntary contributions to the 
Technical Cooperation Program of the Agency which total approximately 
32 percent ($16,000,000 in 1996) of the annual budget of the program.
            (14) The United States should not voluntarily provide 
        funding for the completion of nuclear power reactors which 
        could provide Iran with substantial expertise to advance its 
        nuclear weapons program and potentially pose a threat to the 
        United States or its allies.
            (15) Iran has no need for nuclear energy because of its 
        immense oil and natural gas reserves which are equivalent to 
        9.3 percent of the world's reserves and Iran has 73,000,000,000 
        cubic feet of natural gas, an amount second only to the natural 
        gas reserves of Russia.

SEC. 3. WITHHOLDING OF VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL 
              ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY FOR PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS IN IRAN.

    Section 307 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2227) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Notwithstanding subsection (c), the limitations of subsection 
(a) shall apply to programs and projects of the International Atomic 
Energy Agency in Iran.''.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL REVIEW BY SECRETARY OF STATE OF PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OF 
              THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY; UNITED STATES 
              OPPOSITION TO PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OF THE AGENCY IN 
              IRAN.

    (a) Annual Review.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall undertake a 
        comprehensive annual review of all programs and projects of the 
        International Atomic Energy Agency in the countries described 
        in section 307(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
        U.S.C. 2227(a)) and shall determine if such programs and 
        projects are consistent with United States nuclear 
        nonproliferation and safety goals.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit 
        to the Congress a report containing the results of the review 
        under paragraph (1).
    (b) Opposition to Certain Programs and Projects of International 
Atomic Energy Agency.--The Secretary of State shall direct the United 
States representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency to 
oppose the following:
            (1) Programs of the Agency that are determined by the 
        Secretary under the review conducted under subsection (a)(1) to 
        be inconsistent with nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals 
        of the United States.
            (2) Technical assistance programs or projects of the Agency 
        designed to develop or complete the Bushehr nuclear power plant 
        in Iran.
            (3) Any other program or project of the Agency which 
        transfers nuclear materials or nuclear technology to Iran.

SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and on an annual basis thereafter for 5 years, 
the Secretary of State, in consultation with the United States 
representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, shall prepare 
and submit to the Congress a report that--
            (1) describes the total amount of annual assistance to Iran 
        from the International Atomic Energy Agency, a list of Iranian 
        officials in leadership positions at the Agency, the expected 
        timeframe for the completion of the nuclear power reactors at 
        the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and a summary of the nuclear 
        materials and technology transferred to Iran from the Agency in 
        the preceding year which could assist in the development of 
        Iran's nuclear weapons program; and
            (2) contains a description of all programs and projects of 
        the International Atomic Energy Agency in each country 
        described in section 307(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
        1961 (22 U.S.C. 2227(a)) and any inconsistencies between the 
        technical assistance programs and projects of the Agency and 
        United States nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals in 
        these countries.
    (b) Additional Requirement.--The report required to be submitted 
under subsection (a) shall be submitted in classified or unclassified 
form, to the extent appropriate, except that the provisions of the 
report described in paragraph (1) of such subsection shall be in 
unclassified form.

SEC. 7. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that the United States Government 
should pursue internal reforms at the International Atomic Energy 
Agency that will ensure that all programs and projects funded under the 
technical cooperation program of the Agency are compatible with United 
States nuclear nonproliferation policy.
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