[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 70 (Thursday, May 7, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1093-E1094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF IRAN'S NUCLEAR THREAT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 7, 2009

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the threat Iran's 
potential nuclear weapon capabilities have on the Middle East, the 
world, and particularly Israel.
  In March, President Obama offered to open a dialogue with Iran. His 
olive branch was immediately met with scorn by Iranian President 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran has not cooled its international animosity 
since then, as noted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates as recently as 
Tuesday.
  Talk is fine if it is premised in achieving realistic goals, but the 
Iranian regime has used past efforts at negotiation to delay and divide 
the United States and our allies in our efforts to turn Tehran from a 
nuclear enrichment program that clearly could be used for nuclear 
bombs.
  Time for an open hand policy is running out. I believe it is time to 
up the stakes on Iran.
  One way to accomplish that would be to pass the Iran Threat Reduction 
Act, H.R. 1208, which was introduced by Foreign Affairs Committee 
Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. H.R. 1208, of which I am an 
original cosponsor, would extend current U.S. sanctions until the 
president certifies Iran has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction 
program and ceased its support for international terrorism. It also 
would significantly increase U.S. pressure on Tehran to do both.
  The bill would sharply increase U.S. efforts to stop the shipment of 
refined petroleum and natural gas products to Iran, as well as 
materials needed for building or maintaining oil and gas pipelines. 
Furthermore, the bill completely prohibits U.S. importation of most 
Iranian products. It also denies U.S. foreign tax credits to Americans 
engaged in business activity with Iran that is prohibited by U.S. law.
  March 17 marked the 17th anniversary of the bombing by Iranian 
proxies of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 29 and 
wounded 242. It is but one of hundreds of attacks Iran has made against 
Israel and the United States in a war Iran seems committed to continue.
  Without direct Iranian support, Tehran's proxies, llamas in Gaza and 
Hezbollah in Lebanon, would be far less formidable foes for Israel. 
Without Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Iranian weapons, the United 
States would have suffered hundreds of fewer casualties in Iraq.
  Madam Speaker, the time for talk has ended. The United States should 
increase the pressure on Iran immediately. I therefore urge my 
colleagues to cosponsor the Iran Threat Reduction Act and I urge 
leadership to bring it to the floor for quick passage.

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