[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3517-H3518]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                STOP IRAN'S NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest threats to 
peace in the Middle East and possibly the whole world is for the United 
States and our friends and allies around the world to stop Iran's 
nuclear development program. We have been working for months and months 
to come up with a very strong Iran sanctions bill. The bill has finally 
passed the House and Senate, and because of the differences, we are in 
a conference committee. We have a very strong bill, one that will put 
extreme pressure on Iran and possibly avert a war in the Middle East. 
But now we are hearing that the bill is going to be watered down. It is 
going to be made weaker. If it is made weaker, that means the pressure 
will not be put on Iran that should be, and they will continue with 
their nuclear development program and we could be in a war in the 
Middle East that will far exceed what we have seen in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
  I want to read to you from a report that was issued just last week. 
``Iran has set up new equipment that will allow it to boost its 
efficiency at enriching uranium at higher levels. Iran's clandestine 
enrichment activities were discovered 8 years ago and have expanded 
since to encompass thousands of centrifuges churning out material 
enriched to 3.5 percent. But despite three sets of Security Council 
sanctions meant to enforce demands of a freeze, Tehran moved to a new 
level in February, when it set up a small program to produce material 
enriched to near 20 percent.'' And 20 percent can be used for a nuclear 
weapon.
  The story continued, ``But the move has increased concerns because it 
brings the Islamic Republic closer to the ability to produce warhead 
material. Uranium at 3.5 percent can be used to fuel reactors, which is 
Iran's avowed purpose for enrichment. If enriched to around 95 percent, 
however, it can be used in building a nuclear bomb. And at 20 percent, 
uranium can be turned into weapons-grade material much more quickly 
than from lower levels.
  ``The 20-percent uranium is being produced by `a cascade'--164 
centrifuges hooked up in series. The diplomats said that Iranian 
technicians had in recent weeks assembled another 164-centrifuge 
cascade, and the throw of a switch appeared ready to activate it to 
support the machines already turning out small amounts of near 20-
percent uranium.''
  We don't know how long it is going to be before Iran has nuclear 
weapons, but we know it is not going to be too long. And every day we 
wait to put pressure on Iran is a day they are closer to developing 
nuclear technology that could start a war over there, obliterate our 
friends in Israel, and cause a major war that we will have to be 
involved with.
  We get about 40 percent of our energy from the Middle East. And if a 
war

[[Page H3518]]

breaks out over there and in the Gulf States, the Persian Gulf could be 
blocked, and we would lose so much energy we wouldn't even be able to 
run the lights in this place.
  It is extremely important that we have a very strong Iran sanctions 
bill. I am on the conference committee, and I would say to my 
colleagues who are conferees, let's make it tough, as tough as 
possible, because the one thing we want to do is avert a major war with 
Iran in the Middle East. And I can tell you, I know Bibi Netanyahu, the 
prime minister of Israel, is not going to stand by and watch a weapon 
that could obliterate, destroy Israel, be produced right next door 
there in Iran. So it is important that the United States take the lead 
by coming up with a very strong bill that will put sanctions on Iran 
that they will realize will stop them economically if they don't stop 
their nuclear development program.
  This is probably going to be one of the last chances we will have to 
stop a nuclear program in Iran that will develop a nuclear weapon and 
possibly cause a major war and proliferation of nuclear weapons 
throughout the Middle East. This is a very important time not only for 
them, in the Middle East, Israel and our allies, but it is a big, 
important time for the United States and all of our allies in Europe. 
We can't let a terrorist state like Iran get a nuclear weapon, and that 
is why we need to pass a very strong Iran sanctions bill, and we need 
to do it right away.

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