[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 6, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONTINUING IRANIAN THREAT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Adams) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today to speak about 
the continuing Iranian threat to the United States and Israel.
  Just as the President of Iran continues to spew his vile poison into 
the civil discourse of the United Nations, the regime of the Ayatollah 
issued a threat of violent aggression 2 weeks ago against Israel 
through the deputy head of the armed forces.
  Through its actions, Iran has proven that it will never work with the 
peaceful nations of the world community. In fact, in yet another 
affront to diplomacy, Iran recently offered to allow inspectors from 
the IAEA into the country only to refuse them entry into the most 
important facilities to examine those nuclear sites in dispute.
  The threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is not only a threat to Israel; it 
is also a direct threat to the United States and to the entire world 
community. Just this week, the chief of the International Atomic Energy 
Agency said there were unspecified activities at an Iranian military 
site which inspectors wanted to visit.
  The Iranian regime has publicly threatened to close the Strait of 
Hormuz, a major shipping route for Middle Eastern nations to export oil 
and supply the world's energy needs. This threat by Iran amounts to 
economic warfare, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would trigger 
spikes in crude oil, gasoline bottlenecks in the supply chain, 
increased prices for all manufactured goods, and would likely lead to 
massive increases for gas here in the United States.
  At a time when our domestic economy is struggling to recover, the 
last thing hardworking Americans need is for gas prices to soar even 
higher.
  While drastic reductions in the supply of crude oil would be 
devastating to the world economy, the threat of a theocratic, unstable 
Iranian regime bent on the destruction of Israel and its allies is even 
worse. A nuclear Iran will not care about economic sanctions. A nuclear 
Iran will not care about diplomacy. A nuclear Iran will not negotiate 
in good faith. And a nuclear Iran will not be a friend of the United 
States.
  Perhaps the greatest threat to peace and security in the world is the 
refusal to heed the warnings of the most violent and dangerous regimes 
when they tell us what their exact intentions are. My hope is that it 
will not be a mistake of this Nation, one that this Nation makes with 
this regime in Tehran. Again, my hope is that it will not be our 
mistake not to pay attention to the signals from the regime in Tehran.

                          ____________________