[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 380 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 380

    To express the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of 
   preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons 
                              capability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 16, 2012

  Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Casey, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Mr. Brown of Ohio, 
   Mr. Cardin, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coats, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. 
   Cornyn, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Heller, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. 
 Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Ms. 
 Mikulski, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Portman, 
 Mr. Pryor, Mr. Risch, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Wyden, 
  Ms. Snowe, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Isakson, and Mr. Sessions) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    To express the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of 
   preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons 
                              capability.

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 Iranian Government 
        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-235 enriched to 3.5 percent; 
and

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

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

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

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

Whereas on January 9, 2011, IAEA inspectors confirmed that the Iranian 
        government had begun enrichment activities at the Fordow site, including 
        possibly enrichment of uranium-235 to 20 percent;
Whereas if 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 Iranian leaders have repeatedly threatened the existence of the 
        State of Israel, pledging to ``wipe Israel off the map'';
Whereas the Department of State--

    (1) has designated Iran as a ``State Sponsor of Terrorism'' since 1984; 
and

    (2) has characterized Iran as the ``most active state sponsor of 
terrorism'';

Whereas 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 American 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 Obama, through the P5+1 process, has made repeated efforts to 
        engage the Iranian Government in dialogue about Iran's nuclear program 
        and its international commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation 
        Treaty.
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 Secretary of Defense 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 Defense Department's January 2012 Strategic Guidance stated that 
        U.S. defense efforts in the Middle East would be aimed ``to prevent 
        Iran's development of a nuclear weapons capability and counter its 
        destabilizing policies'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) affirms that it is a vital national interest of the 
        United States to prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic 
        of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability;
            (2) warns that time is limited to prevent the Iranian 
        government from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability;
            (3) urges continued and increasing economic and diplomatic 
        pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran to secure an agreement 
        from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran that 
        includes--
                    (A) the full and sustained suspension of all 
                uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities;
                    (B) complete cooperation with the IAEA on all 
                outstanding questions related to Iran's nuclear 
                activities, including--
                            (i) the implementation of the Non-
                        Proliferation Treaty Additional Protocol; and
                            (ii) the verified end of Iran's ballistic 
                        missile programs; and
                    (C) a permanent agreement that verifiably assures 
                that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful;
            (4) expresses support for the universal rights and 
        democratic aspirations of the Iranian people;
            (5) strongly supports United States policy to prevent the 
        Iranian Government from acquiring nuclear weapons capability;
            (6) rejects any United States policy that would rely on 
        efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran; and
            (7) urges the President to reaffirm the unacceptability of 
        an Iran with nuclear-weapons capability and oppose any policy 
        that would rely on containment as an option in response to the 
        Iranian nuclear threat.
                                 <all>