[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 172 (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SUPPORTING MEASURES AGAINST IRAN AND HEZBOLLAH (H.R. 1698, H. RES. 359, 
                        H.R. 3342, & H.R. 3329)

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 25, 2017

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of four 
critical pieces of legislation that will significantly strengthen our 
efforts to counter the Iranian menace in the Middle East.
  Appropriately, these measures follow the President's determination, 
announced two weeks ago, that the suspension of sanctions under the 
Iran nuclear deal no longer serves the national security interests of 
the United States. President Trump's determination simply acknowledges 
the reality that has existed since day one of the deal--the nuclear 
deal put the United States on a perilous course to confronting a 
nuclear armed Iran.
  By agreeing to submit to a minimal and inadequate standard of 
inspections, Iran earned international recognition of its enrichment 
program, reaped billions of dollars in sanctions relief, and positioned 
itself to become a nuclear threshold power by the time the deal expires 
in less than a decade. In addition to these unacceptable concessions, 
Tehran managed to secure an agreement that ignores its massive support 
for international terrorism and its pursuit of nuclear blackmail 
through an advanced ballistic missile program.
  Mr. Speaker, the bills we are considering today are a first step 
towards correcting the balance in our relationship with the Iranian 
regime--a balance that must have as its first priority the national 
security interests of the United States and its regional allies, 
especially Israel.
  My good friend and Chairman, Ed Royce, introduced two of these pieces 
of legislation that will expand and refine sanctions against Iran's 
ballistic missile program, its trade in conventional weapons, and the 
illicit network of financial support for its regional terrorist proxy 
Hezbollah. H.R. 1698, the Iran Ballistic Missiles and International 
Sanctions Enforcement Act, and H.R. 3329, the Hezbollah International 
Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017, target the money and 
resources that enable Iran and Hezbollah to terrorize the State of 
Israel and other civilian populations across the region. Both of these 
bills rightly enjoy large bipartisan support--I am proud to join more 
than 320 of my colleagues in co-sponsoring H.R. 1698 and more than 110 
have co-sponsored H.R. 3329.
  Mr. Speaker, I also stand today in support of H.R. 3342, the 
Sanctioning Hezbollah's Illicit Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields 
Act, introduced by my good friend Mike Gallagher, and H. Res. 359, 
introduced by my friend Ted Deutch, urging the European Union to 
designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization. These 
bills expose Hezbollah for what it is: a merciless organized crime 
organization wrapped in a terrorist organization, masquerading as a 
political party. H.R. 3342 directs the President to apply penalties, 
principally visa bans, against individuals determined to direct 
Hezbollah's use of innocent human lives to protect its cruel mechanisms 
of murder. Meanwhile, H. Res. 359 urges the European Union to recognize 
what should be plain as day: there is no merely political wing to 
Hezbollah. Rather, the entire organization is dedicated to expanding 
Iranian influence in the region and threatening Israel's existence by 
all means possible.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States Congress must get these bills to the 
President's desk as soon as possible. Just this week, Prime Minister 
Netanyahu addressed the Israeli Knesset and underscored the urgent task 
of denying Iran's attempts to secure strategic footholds in Syria and 
acquire nuclear weapons. Also this week, Defense Minister Lieberman 
told Israeli legislators that a volley of rockets fired into the 
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria was ``intentional . . . 
carried out by a cell operated by Hezbollah.''
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that Monday was the 34th 
anniversary of the horrific 1983 bombing. of the U.S. Marine Corps 
Barracks in Beirut perpetrated by Hezbollah with Iranian support that 
killed 241 Americans. Just a few blocks away from here, at the Marine 
Corps Barracks in Washington D.C., Vice President Pence commemorated 
this anniversary on Monday, vowing that America will never forget those 
who gave everything in service to their country. Our fight against 
Hezbollah began that October day in Beirut and we must see it through 
until the evil of Iran and Hezbollah are completely vanquished.
  I urge my colleagues to pass these critical measures to honor the 
memory of our fallen soldiers and our unfinished work against this 
pernicious threat.

                          ____________________