[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 82 (Monday, June 22, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4950-H4951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTIONS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Blunt). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleague, the gentleman 
from California, in support of H.R. 2709, the Iran Missile 
Proliferation Sanctions Act, and to urge the President to sign this 
most important legislative initiative.
  This is an important proposal that seeks to protect United States 
national security interests in the Middle East by stemming the flow of 
missile technology and expertise to Iran. While the administration may 
have objections to several of the sanctions imposed by the bill, I 
would submit that the President's authority to make foreign policy is 
protected in the bill by granting him the authority to waive those 
sanctions under specific circumstances.
  Mr. Speaker, this proposal is especially important since intelligence 
reports show if Iran succeeds in its efforts to acquire weapons of mass 
destruction and the missiles to deliver them, within a year it could 
have the indigenous capability to begin assembly and testing of 
ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel, other targets in the 
Middle East, as well as parts of Europe and Asia.

[[Page H4951]]

  Mr. Speaker, Iran already possesses chemical weapons and is intensely 
working toward acquiring biological and nuclear weapons capability. 
These are dangerous trends, Mr. Speaker, and the United States must 
take action to stop these developments.
  What is troubling is that technology and expertise has come to Iran 
from foreign companies, primarily, but not exclusively, Russian 
companies. In previous years, China and North Korea provided this 
assistance; today, Russian companies are providing highly advanced 
technology. In fact, Mr. Speaker, U.S. military intelligence reports, 
reports that have been publicly cited, have indicated that Russian 
entities signed contracts this year to help produce liquid-fueled 
ballistics missiles, such as the SS-4.
  In addition, there have been sales of Russian high technology laser 
equipment and negotiations between the Russians and Iran for other 
supplies for the manufacture of missiles as well as the construction of 
the wind tunnels necessary to test the missiles.
  Mr. Speaker, some 9,000 scientists, engineers and technicians from 
the former Soviet Union are currently in Iran as advisors. Some of 
these experts are teaching subjects ranging from missile guidance 
systems to firing circuitry and pyrotechnics of explosive systems. 
Others are aiding in the rebuilding of the Bushehr nuclear reactor, and 
the technical advice being given in this project could very well 
enhance Iran's capability to develop nuclear weapons.
  Mr. Speaker, this flow of technology and expertise continues, in 
spite of the fact that in January of this year, then Russian Prime 
Minister Chernomyrdin issued a decree to restrict the export of dual-
use technology. In addition, Russia is a member of the Missile 
Technology Control Regime, a volunteer arrangement among countries 
which share a common interest in arresting missile proliferation. 
Russia along with the 27 other signatory countries, which includes the 
United States, has agreed to participate in a regime which consists of 
common export guidelines applied to a common list of controlled items. 
But, Mr. Speaker, in spite of Russia's international commitments, 
Russian entities continue to provide this deadly technology to Iran.
  So what is to be done, Mr. Speaker? There are currently sanction 
requirements in place for those companies which engage in this type of 
technology transfer. The Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act of 1992 
requires the President to sanction the governments of those countries 
who knowingly supply Iran or Iraq with advanced conventional weaponry 
or technology that contributes to their acquisition of weapons of mass 
destruction. These sanctions would suspend U.S. assistance to these 
governments, would suspend codevelopment and coproduction agreements, 
and would suspend military and dual-use technology agreements that 
might lead to the transfer of technology or weapons to either Iran or 
Iraq.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, the Arms Export Control Act and the Export 
Administration Act both require the imposition of sanctions on 
governments and entities that violate the Missile Technology Control 
Regime. Unfortunately, the administration has chosen not to apply the 
sanctions available in existing law, choosing rather to pursue 
diplomatic solutions. But, Mr. Speaker, it appears these diplomatic 
solutions have not cut off the flow of these dangerous technologies to 
a nation with whom we do not have diplomatic relations.
  H.R. 2709 was introduced last fall to press for an end to Russian 
missile cooperation with Iran. The legislation would sanction any 
company involved in providing missile technology to Iran. These 
sanctions should provide the United States with a means to attack the 
spread of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, and, while we 
might find ourselves standing alone in this fight, it is a worthy stand 
for us to take. The Congress is on record as supporting this 
legislation. The bill has 271 cosponsors in the House and 82 cosponsors 
in the Senate, and passed both houses by an overwhelming bipartisan 
majority.
  Mr. Speaker, if we stand alone in our willingness to stop the spread 
of death and destruction in the Middle East, then so be it. Our stand 
is morally correct and the administration should join with the Congress 
in supporting the imposition of sanctions on those who put financial 
gain ahead of peace.

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