[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S865-S867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        U.S. POLICY TOWARD IRAN

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, as I mentioned, I rise today to discuss 
U.S. policy toward Iran--an issue that is critical to our national 
security and the security of our allies. When we talk about our policy 
toward Iran, we must do so with our eyes wide open. The Iranian regime 
is one of the world's leading State sponsors of terrorism. It threatens 
Israel, it destabilizes the region, and it abuses human rights. That is 
why I have cosponsored the Iran Policy Oversight Act, a bill that 
allows Congress to move quickly to impose economic sanctions against 
Iran's terrorist activity. It expands military aid to Israel, and it 
ensures that agencies charged with monitoring Iran have the resources 
they need.
  Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is one of the most 
important objectives of our national security policy. I have strongly 
advocated for and supported the economic sanctions that have brought 
Iran to the negotiating table over the last few years. Those sanctions 
resulted in a nuclear nonproliferation agreement between Iran and the 
United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China.
  The Iran nuclear agreement, as we have talked about many times on 
this floor--including my own words--is an imperfect but necessary tool 
to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. In order for the 
agreement to work, of course, we must remember that simply trusting 
Iran to do the right thing is not an option. We must be vigilant in our 
monitoring and in our verification.
  In my view, our national security strategy must focus on three 
things. This is overall: Protecting our citizens, eliminating threats 
to our national security, and never losing sight of our core American 
values. It is through this lens that we must approach Iran.
  First of all, we must do all we can to keep our own citizens safe. We 
can't be naive. We cannot trust in the Iranian regime--and the Iranian 
regime continues to prove that is the case. Iran repeatedly violated 
the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 by testing 
ballistic missiles, most recently on October 10 and November 21 of 
2015. The very next month, in December of 2015, Iran conducted a live 
fire exercise using unguided rockets

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near a U.S. aircraft carrier in international waters. Make no mistake, 
this was an intentional provocation.
  Just last month Iran announced it flew a surveillance drone over a 
U.S. aircraft carrier. Afterwards, an Iranian Navy commander went on 
State TV and said the drone strike was a ``sign of bravery'' that 
``allowed our men to go so close to the warship and shoot such 
beautiful and accurate footage of the combat units of the foreign 
forces.''
  Iran flying military drones over our aircraft carriers means that we 
must respond.
  We also have to keep in mind that Iran isn't just provoking our 
military. Iran also targets innocent civilians by funding terrorism 
around the world. Iran is the world's leading State sponsor of 
terrorism. Iran funds Hezbollah, a terrorist group that wreaks havoc in 
the Middle East. Recently Hezbollah was accused of recruiting five 
Palestinian men to attack Israelis using explosives. Luckily, the 
Israeli defense forces were able to stop the attack before anyone was 
hurt.
  Iran also continues to defend Bashir al-Assad and attack U.S.-backed 
rebel forces in Syria. The United Nations estimates that Iran spends $6 
billion a year to fund Assad's government. What is Assad doing with 
that money? He buys barrel bombs to level entire Syrian towns. He pays 
for blockades to prevent food, medicine, and other critical supplies 
from reaching his own people. He is starving entire villages in 
northern Syria where children are starving and thousands of people have 
been forced to survive on grass because Assad and troops from Hezbollah 
will not let food and medicine get to them.
  Iran is funding a government that is responsible for a civil war that 
has killed 250,000 people and displaced 11 million more. Again, we need 
to be at the top of our game when it comes to sanctions. The worst 
would be for a country that behaves in this manner and that disrespects 
international human rights to have access to a nuclear weapon, which is 
why many of us in this Chamber did support the agreement. While 
imperfect, we did support the Iranian nuclear agreement.

  Our national security strategy also must focus on eliminating 
threats. We must demonstrate that the United States has the capability 
to stand up to Iran when it funds terror and seeks to destabilize the 
world.
  Given Iran's history, we can anticipate that it will test the 
boundaries of international agreements, and we have to be ready to 
respond when it does so. That is why we must hold Iran accountable 
every step of the way. Imposing harsh sanctions against those 
responsible for Iran's ballistic missile program is a good start.
  Iran's ballistic missile program is a threat to regional and global 
security. Any person or business involved in helping Iran obtain 
illicit weapons should be banned from doing business with the United 
States, have their assets and financial operations immediately frozen, 
and have their travel restricted. Minimizing the threat Iran poses also 
means working to ensure that the money flowing into Iran now that 
nuclear sanctions are lifted is not used to further destabilize the 
region and spread terrorism. We must monitor the flow of terrorist 
financing and use every tool available to punish bad actors who seek to 
do harm.
  It is also known that Iran has a terrible human rights record. In 
fact, Iranian Americans and Iranians around the world will be the first 
people to tell you that 35 years of religious dictatorship has been a 
human rights nightmare for the people of Iran.
  Recently, thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Paris to join 
a mass demonstration protesting President Ruhani's visit to Paris. 
Those protestors are demonstrating against things like Iran's policy to 
permit girls as young as 9 to boys as young as 15 to be sentenced to 
death. They protested Iran's continuing suppression of journalists and 
freedom of speech.
  Beyond imprisoning journalists--and we do applaud the recent release 
of the Washington Post journalist. I was so honored to be at the 
opening recently at the Washington Post facility where he appeared and 
spoke. We learned how he was taken from his home in Iran at gunpoint, 
blindfolded, handcuffed, and thrown into solitary confinement for 18 
months until recently his release was negotiated. Beyond imprisoning 
journalists, Iran arbitrarily jails human rights activists, and it 
oppresses religious minorities including Christians, Jews, and Sunni 
Muslims.
  America has a long history of being an arbiter of peace and security 
around the world. In order to continue this legacy, we must hold Iran 
accountable for its human rights violations.
  I sponsored the Iran Policy Oversight Act because it is a bill that 
does three important things to hold Iran accountable. First, it allows 
Congress to more quickly impose economic sanctions against Iran's 
terrorist activities. This is really important because the best way to 
stop terrorism is to cut off the financing for it. We should be doing 
everything in our power to better track terrorist financing so that we 
can stop the flow of money that funds suicide bombers and illicit 
weapons.
  The United States and the international community have maintained 
sanctions against Iran for decades. I have voted to increase sanctions 
on Iran's oil imports and strengthen sanctions against human rights 
violators in Iran. Sanctions are a powerful tool, and Congress should 
exercise its authority to implement them as fast as possible against 
people who fund international terrorism.
  Second, the bill also expands military aid to Israel. The United 
States plays a critical role in supporting Israel's defense. The United 
States and Israel have enjoyed a friendship based on values rooted in 
democracy, freedom, and mutual strategic goals. Protecting Israel--our 
most reliable ally in the Middle East, the beacon of democracy--against 
a hostile Iran is essential.
  Third, the bill ensures that agencies charged with monitoring Iran 
have the resources they need. We cannot take Iran's word for it that 
they are obeying the rules. We need strong independent verification and 
monitoring. The United States and our European partners must fulfill 
our obligation to fund the international agencies responsible for that 
monitoring.
  In order to protect our citizens, Congress must exercise its 
constitutional authority to enact legislation that expands oversight of 
the Iran nuclear agreement. We must also continue to work with the P5+1 
to ensure that the agreement is strictly enforced. Iran must understand 
that we will not hesitate to snap back sanctions if it fails to comply 
with the rules. Sanctions were effective at getting Iran to the table, 
and they will continue to be a tool that allows the United States and 
our allies to minimize the threat posed by Iran.
  Those of us who supported the Iran nuclear agreement have a special 
responsibility to ensure that it works. In fact, this whole Senate has 
a responsibility, regardless of whether Members supported it or not. It 
is in the best interest of our country. We cannot shirk from our duties 
and we must be vigilant. We owe it to the American people, to Israel, 
and to our allies. Our mission here is clear: We must protect our own 
citizens by exercising our authority to enact strong legislation to 
ensure that Iran does not cheat on its international commitments. 
Because we know from experience that Iran will test the international 
community, we must be ready to respond when it does.
  Iran must know that if it violates the rules, the response will be 
certain, swift, and severe. We must also minimize the threat Iran poses 
to our citizens and the world by doing everything in our power to stop 
Iran from funding the world's terrorists.
  Last year the world was shaken by a series of successful terrorist 
attacks on innocent civilians. The attacks in Paris, Lebanon, Mali, and 
San Bernardino, right here in the United States, remind us that the 
victims of these massacres will never be limited to one nationality or 
one ethnicity or one religion.
  It is critical that we take additional steps to stop countries like 
Iran from funding terrorism and destabilizing the world. Stopping 
Iran's support of terrorism protects us here at home, but it also helps 
millions of refugees fleeing Syria, the children that are starving in 
cities like Madaya, and the families fleeing mortar fire in Yemen. Our 
values of justice, democracy, and freedom for all demand nothing less.
  Iran's recent behavior suggests that the United States needs to have 
the ability to snap back as soon as possible. We have to have the 
ability to

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impose sanctions. That is why I am supporting this bill. I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

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