[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 70 (Wednesday, May 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING IRAN FROM 
                 ACQUIRING A NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2012

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, Iran's failure to comply with U.N. Security 
Council resolutions regarding its nuclear program, or its 
responsibilities as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, 
are deeply troubling.
  A nuclear-armed Iran would represent a grave threat to the interests 
of the United States, Israel, and our other allies in the Middle East. 
This body has forcefully and repeatedly emphasized the singular 
importance of contributing to Israel's defense and well-being, most 
recently only last week when we overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4133, 
affirming the strategic relationship between Israel and the United 
States.
  Sadly, the resolution before us does not contribute in any 
appreciable way either to Israel's security or to the goal of 
compelling Iran's cooperation on their nuclear program. The ambiguous 
language of H. Res. 568 effectively redefines the circumstances that 
could be used to justify a military strike against Iran. This could 
make it harder to reach an agreement through negotiations, since it 
could be argued that Iran--and indeed any country with a civilian 
nuclear program--already possesses ``nuclear weapons capability.'' The 
consensus in the U.S. and Israeli intelligence community remains that 
Iran has not made the decision to move ahead with the development of a 
nuclear weapon.
  Furthermore, the resolution declares that, of all possible responses 
should Iran make that decision, our government cannot consider 
containment. By combining these two provisions, even in a non-binding 
resolution, the Congress risks accelerating a drive to war.
  Since President Obama took office, the United States has carefully 
built a comprehensive regime of multi-lateral sanctions in response to 
Iran's intransigence. After extensive diplomatic efforts by this 
administration, Iran agreed to reengage with the international 
community, and the second major negotiations session will take place in 
Baghdad on May 23.
  The United States and our partners enter the dialogue with Iran from 
a position of strength and unity, while reports indicate Iran's 
leadership is divided and weak. With the P5+1 negotiations, we have a 
unique opportunity to demonstrate our resolve to achieve the goal of 
full compliance by Iran with IAEA expectations, while reversing the 
clock on Iran's nuclear efforts and building toward a permanent 
agreement that ensures Iran will never develop a nuclear weapon.
  The United States built a global alliance against Iran with the 
support of close, like-minded allies Britain, Germany and France. But 
our efforts also rely heavily on Russia and China, partners that have 
at times seen this issue very differently. It is critical that we 
maintain a consistent and reasoned approach towards Iran that will help 
us maintain this network of partners.
  As we wind down two wars in the region, it is urgent that we make the 
most of our extensive diplomatic efforts and the platform of stringent 
sanctions the world community has imposed on Iran. We must capitalize 
on the opportunity presented by the Baghdad talks. This resolution is 
inconsistent with that aim.

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