[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3145-S3146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 19--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS ON 
                      THE NUCLEAR PROGRAM OF IRAN

  Mr. GRAHAM (for himself and Mr. Brownback) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 19

       Whereas President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refuses to 
     abandon the uranium enrichment program of the Government of 
     Iran, and continues to work towards advancing that program;

[[Page S3146]]

       Whereas the United Nations Security Council unanimously 
     passed Security Council Resolution 1737 on December 23, 2006, 
     which imposed sanctions on trade and expertise related to the 
     nuclear infrastructure of Iran and the transfer to Iran of 
     International Atomic Energy Agency technical aid;
       Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 
     (2006) states that if Iran refuses to comply with the 
     Resolution within 60 days, the Security Council ``shall adopt 
     further appropriate measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII 
     of the Charter of the United Nations to persuade Iran to 
     comply with this resolution and the requirements of the IAEA, 
     and underlines that further decisions will be required should 
     such additional measures be necessary'';
       Whereas, according to a report issued by the International 
     Atomic Energy Agency on February 21, 2007, Iran failed to 
     comply with United Nations Resolution 1737 within 60 days;
       Whereas the refusal of the Government of Iran to comply 
     with International Atomic Energy Agency orders to prove the 
     peaceful intent of its nuclear program and with United 
     Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 (2006) indicates 
     that the efforts of the Government of Iran toward uranium 
     enrichment are not for peaceful means;
       Whereas the Government of Iran has contributed to 
     instability in the Middle East and has shown itself unwilling 
     to use its influence to support peaceful transformation in 
     the region, including by demonstrating its ability to strike 
     United States military forces and allies in the Middle East 
     with missiles, by being either incapable or unwilling to stop 
     the movement of weapons produced in Iran into Iraq and other 
     countries in the region in support of violent religious 
     extremism, and by the continued assertion of President 
     Ahmadinejad that Israel will be ``wiped off the map'' and the 
     consistent denial by President Ahmadinejad of the existence 
     of the holocaust, as evidenced through the hosting of an 
     ``International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the 
     Holocaust'' on December 11, 2006;
       Whereas John Michael McConnell, Director of National 
     Intelligence, indicated in a hearing of the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the Senate on February 27, 2007, that 
     economic sanctions on Iran uniformly applied by the 
     international community could have a major effect on the 
     economy of Iran;
       Whereas the placement and implementation of sanctions on 
     countries such as North Korea and Libya have made progress in 
     bringing about change;
       Whereas, despite the release of an internal European Union 
     document dated February 7, 2007, which indicated that 
     European Union officials believe that preventing Iran from 
     developing a nuclear weapon is not likely, on February 12, 
     2007, the European Union agreed, in compliance with United 
     Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 (2006), to impose 
     limited sanctions on Iran in order to prevent the sale of 
     materials and technology that could be used in Iran's nuclear 
     program; and
       Whereas full economic sanctions on the part of the entire 
     international community have not been applied to Iran: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the nuclear program of the Government of Iran continues 
     to be of grave concern and should be considered a serious 
     threat to the United States and its military forces and 
     personnel in the Middle East, and to United States allies and 
     interests in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia;
       (2) as a result of the failure of Iran to comply with 
     United Nations Security Resolution 1737 (2006), the United 
     Nations Security Council should implement additional 
     sanctions in order to persuade Iran to comply with 
     requirements imposed by the International Atomic Energy 
     Agency;
       (3) full economic sanctions, uniformly imposed by the 
     entire international community, including Russia and China, 
     offer the best opportunity to bring about significant change 
     in Iran to prevent the development of a nuclear weapon in 
     Iran; and
       (4) the elimination of the threat of a nuclear Iran is in 
     the long term interest of the people of Iran, the region, and 
     the world.

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