[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 41 Referred in House (RFH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. J. RES. 41


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2012

              Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the nuclear program of the 
              Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Whereas, since at least the late 1980s, the Government of the Islamic Republic 
        of Iran has engaged in a sustained and well-documented pattern of 
        illicit and deceptive activities to acquire nuclear capability;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions 
        since 2006 demanding the full and sustained suspension of all uranium 
        enrichment-related and reprocessing activities by the Government of the 
        Islamic Republic of Iran and its full cooperation with the International 
        Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on all outstanding issues related to its 
        nuclear activities, particularly those concerning the possible military 
        dimensions of its nuclear program;
Whereas, on November 8, 2011, the IAEA issued an extensive report that--

    (1) documents ``serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions 
to Iran's nuclear programme'';

    (2) states that ``Iran has carried out activities relevant to the 
development of a nuclear device''; and

    (3) states that the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and (2) may be 
ongoing;

Whereas, as of November 2008, Iran had produced, according to the IAEA--

    (1) approximately 630 kilograms of uranium hexaflouride enriched up to 
3.5 percent uranium-235; and

    (2) no uranium hexaflouride enriched up to 20 percent uranium-235;

Whereas, as of November 2011, Iran had produced, according to the IAEA--

    (1) nearly 5,000 kilograms of uranium hexaflouride enriched up to 3.5 
percent uranium-235; and

    (2) 79.7 kilograms of uranium hexaflouride enriched up to 20 percent 
uranium-235;

Whereas, on January 9, 2012, IAEA inspectors confirmed that the Government of 
        the Islamic Republic of Iran had begun enrichment activities at the 
        Fordow site, including possibly enrichment of uranium hexaflouride up to 
        20 percent uranium-235;
Whereas section 2(2) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and 
        Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-195) states, ``The United States 
        and other responsible countries have a vital interest in working 
        together to prevent the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear 
        weapons capability.'';
Whereas if the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran were successful in 
        acquiring a nuclear weapon capability, it would likely spur other 
        countries in the region to consider developing their own nuclear weapons 
        capabilities;
Whereas, on December 6, 2011, Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia stated that 
        if international efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons 
        fail, ``we must, as a duty to our country and people, look into all 
        options we are given, including obtaining these weapons ourselves'';
Whereas top leaders of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran have 
        repeatedly threatened the existence of the State of Israel, pledging to 
        ``wipe Israel off the map'';
Whereas the Department of State has designated Iran as a state sponsor of 
        terrorism since 1984 and characterized Iran as the ``most active state 
        sponsor of terrorism'';
Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has provided weapons, 
        training, funding, and direction to terrorist groups, including Hamas, 
        Hezbollah, and Shiite militias in Iraq that are responsible for the 
        murders of hundreds of United States forces and innocent civilians;
Whereas, on July 28, 2011, the Department of the Treasury charged that the 
        Government of Iran had forged a ``secret deal'' with al Qaeda to 
        facilitate the movement of al Qaeda fighters and funding through Iranian 
        territory;
Whereas, in October 2011, senior leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
        Corps (IRGC) Quds Force were implicated in a terrorist plot to 
        assassinate Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States on United 
        States soil;
Whereas, on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a 
        resolution denouncing the serious human rights abuses occurring in the 
        Islamic Republic of Iran, including torture, cruel and degrading 
        treatment in detention, the targeting of human rights defenders, 
        violence against women, and ``the systematic and serious restrictions on 
        freedom of peaceful assembly'' as well as severe restrictions on the 
        rights to ``freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief'';
Whereas President Barack Obama, through the P5+1 process, has made repeated 
        efforts to engage the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 
        dialogue about Iran's nuclear program and its international commitments 
        under 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 known as the ``Nuclear Non-Proliferation 
        Treaty'');
Whereas representatives of the P5+1 countries (the United States, France, 
        Germany, the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the 
        United Kingdom) and representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran held 
        negotiations on Iran's nuclear program in Istanbul, Turkey on April 14, 
        2012, and these discussions are set to resume in Baghdad, Iraq on May 
        23, 2012;
Whereas, on March 31, 2010, President Obama stated that the ``consequences of a 
        nuclear-armed Iran are unacceptable'';
Whereas in his State of the Union Address on January 24, 2012, President Obama 
        stated, ``Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran 
        from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table 
        to achieve that goal.'';
Whereas, on March 4, 2012, President Obama stated ``Iran's leaders should 
        understand that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy 
        to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon'';
Whereas Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stated, in December 2011, that it was 
        unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, reaffirmed that all 
        options were on the table to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons efforts, and 
        vowed that if the United States gets ``intelligence that they are 
        proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever 
        steps necessary to stop it'';
Whereas the Department of Defense's January 2012 Strategic Guidance stated that 
        United States defense efforts in the Middle East would be aimed ``to 
        prevent Iran's development of a nuclear weapons capability and counter 
        its destabilizing policies''; and
Whereas, on April 2, 2012, President Obama stated, ``All the evidence indicates 
        that the Iranians are trying to develop the capacity to develop nuclear 
        weapons. They might decide that, once they have that capacity that 
        they'd hold off right at the edge in order not to incur more sanctions. 
        But, if they've got nuclear weapons-building capacity and they are 
        flouting international resolutions, that creates huge destabilizing 
        effects in the region and will trigger an arms race in the Middle East 
        that is bad for U.S. national security but is also bad for the entire 
        world.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    That Congress--
            (1) reaffirms that the United States Government and the 
        governments of other responsible countries have a vital 
        interest in working together to prevent the Government of Iran 
        from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability;
            (2) warns that time is limited to prevent the Government of 
        the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons 
        capability;
            (3) urges continued and increasing economic and diplomatic 
        pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran until the Government 
        of the Islamic Republic of Iran agrees to and implements--
                    (A) the full and sustained suspension of all 
                uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities 
                and compliance with United Nations Security Council 
                resolutions;
                    (B) complete cooperation with the IAEA on all 
                outstanding questions related to the nuclear activities 
                of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 
                including the implementation of the additional protocol 
                to Iran's Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA; and
                    (C) a permanent agreement that verifiably assures 
                that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful;
            (4) expresses the desire that the P5+1 process successfully 
        and swiftly leads to the objectives identified in paragraph 
        (3), but warns that, as President Obama has said, the window 
        for diplomacy is closing;
            (5) expresses support for the universal rights and 
        democratic aspirations of the people of Iran;
            (6) strongly supports United States policy to prevent the 
        Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a 
        nuclear weapons capability;
            (7) rejects any United States policy that would rely on 
        efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran; and
            (8) joins the President in ruling out any policy that would 
        rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian 
        nuclear threat.

SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization 
for the use of force or a declaration of war.

            Passed the Senate September 22 (legislative day, September 
      21), 2012.

            Attest:

                                                NANCY ERICKSON,

                                                             Secretary.