[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 351 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 351

       Responding to the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 20, 2006

Mr. Bayh submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Responding to the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program.

Whereas Iran is precipitating a grave nuclear crisis with the international 
        community that directly impacts the national security of the United 
        States and the efficacy of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 
        and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at 
        Washington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968, and entered into force 
        March 5, 1970 (commonly referred to as the ``Nuclear Non-Proliferation 
        Treaty'');
Whereas the United States welcomes a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis, 
        but the Government of Iran continues to reject a peaceful resolution to 
        the matter;
Whereas, although the Government of Iran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment 
        activities and to sign and ratify the IAEA's Additional Protocol on 
        expansive, intrusive no-notice inspections in 2003, it has repeatedly 
        failed to live up to its obligations under this agreement;
Whereas the Government of Iran broke IAEA seals on some centrifuges in September 
        2004, converted uranium to a gas needed for enrichment in May 2005, 
        limited IAEA inspectors to a few sites, and said it would restart 
        uranium conversion activities;
Whereas the Board of Governors of the IAEA declared in September 2005 that Iran 
        was in non-compliance of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 
        obligations;
Whereas Iran announced on January 3, 2006, that it would resume uranium 
        ``research'' activities at Natanz and invited IAEA to witness the 
        breaking of IAEA seals at the facility;
Whereas the Government of Iran has acknowledged deceiving the IAEA for the past 
        18 years for not disclosing an uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and 
        a heavy water production plant in Arak;
Whereas the Government of Iran's human rights practices and strict limits on 
        democracy have been consistently criticized by United Nations reports;
Whereas the Department of State stated in its most recent Country Reports on 
        Human Rights Practices that Iran's already poor human rights record 
        ``worsened'' during the previous year and deemed Iran a country ``of 
        particular concern'' in its most recent International Religious Freedom 
        Report;
Whereas the Government of Iran funds terror and rejectionist groups in Gaza and 
        the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan and is providing material 
        support to groups directly involved in the killing of United States 
        citizens;
Whereas Iran has been designated by the United States as a state sponsor of 
        terrorism since 1984, and the Department of State said in its most 
        recent Country Reports on Terrorism that Iran ``remained the most active 
        state sponsor of terrorism in 2004'';
Whereas President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made repeated anti-American 
        and anti-semitic statements, including denying the occurrence of the 
        Holocaust and Israel's right to exist, and called on people to imagine a 
        world without the United States;
Whereas Iran's recent acquisition of new anti-ship capabilities to block the 
        Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf and the decision by 
        the Government of Russia to sell the Government of Iran $1,000,000,000 
        in weapons, mostly for 29 antiaircraft missile systems, is most 
        regrettable and should dampen United States-Russian relations;
Whereas the behavior of the Government of Iran does not reflect that country's 
        rich history and the democratic aspirations of most people in Iran;
Whereas the people of the United States stand with the people of Iran in support 
        of democracy, the rule of law, religious freedom, and regional and 
        global stability;
Whereas, although Iran is subject to a range of unilateral sanctions and some 
        third country and foreign entities sanctions, these sanctions have not 
        been fully implemented;
Whereas Iran remains vulnerable to international sanctions, especially with 
        respect to financial services and foreign investment in its petroleum 
        sector and oil sales, few foreign nations have joined the United States 
        in attempting to isolate the regime in Iran and compel compliance with 
        Iran's international obligations;
Whereas, although Iran may be one of the world's largest exporters of oil, it 
        does not have the refining capacity to make the gasoline necessary to 
        make its economy run and currently imports 40 percent of its refined 
        gasoline from abroad;
Whereas more complete implementation of United States sanctions laws and the 
        adoption of additional statutes would improve the chances of a 
        diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis with Iran;
Whereas President George W. Bush has for 4 years given too little attention to 
        the growing nuclear problem in Iran beyond rhetorical sound bites and 
        has carried out an Iran policy consisting of loud denunciations followed 
        by minimal action and ultimate deference of managing the crisis to 
        Europe, a policy that has been riddled with contradiction and 
        inconsistency and damaging to United States national security;
Whereas, had President Bush effectively marshaled world opinion in 2002 and not 
        wasted valuable time, diverted resources, and ignored the problem in 
        Iran, the United States would not be faced with the full extent of the 
        current nuclear crisis in Iran;
Whereas action now is imperative and time is of the essence; and
Whereas the opportunity the United States has to avoid the choice between 
        military action and a nuclear Iran may be measured only in months: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the United States should cut assistance to countries 
        whose companies are investing in Iran's energy sector, 
        including pipelines to export Iranian crude;
            (2) supplies of refined gasoline to Iran should be cut off;
            (3) there should be a worldwide, comprehensive ban on sales 
        of weapons to Iran, including from Russia and China;
            (4) the United Nations Security Council should impose an 
        intrusive IAEA-led weapons of mass destruction inspection 
        regime on Iran similar to that imposed on Iraq after the 1991 
        Persian Gulf war;
            (5) the United Nations Security Council should adopt 
        reductions in diplomatic exchanges with Iran, limit travel by 
        some Iranian officials, and limit or ban sports or cultural 
        exchanges with Iran;
            (6) the President should more faithfully implement the Iran 
        and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note) (commonly 
        known as ``ILSA''), and Congress should--
                    (A) increase the requirements on the President to 
                justify waiving ILSA-related sanctions;
                    (B) repeal the sunset provision of ILSA;
                    (C) set a 90-day time limit for the President to 
                determine whether an investment constitutes a violation 
                of ILSA; and
                    (D) make exports to Iran of technology related to 
                weapons of mass destruction sanctionable under ILSA;
            (7) the United States should withdraw its support for 
        Iran's accession to the WTO until Iran meets weapons of mass 
        destruction, human rights, terrorism, and regional stability 
        standards; and
            (8) the United States must make the Government of Iran 
        understand that if its nuclear activity continues it will be 
        treated as a pariah state.
                                 <all>