[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13795]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 THE NECESSITY FOR A BILATERAL INCIDENTS AT SEA AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE 
                             U.S. AND IRAN

  (Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, as a former enlisted soldier 
and Army officer, the lives and safety of our servicemen and -women has 
always been one of my top priorities. Chairman Conyers and I are, 
therefore, calling for the prompt negotiation of a bilateral naval 
agreement between the United States and Iran.
  In January of 2008, Iranian Revolutionary Guards naval speedboats 
engaged in provocative actions against three U.S. naval vessels, showed 
little to no regard for maritime safety, and the event very nearly 
escalated into an armed conflict between the United States and Iranian 
vessels.
  The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most crowded shipping lanes in the 
world. A conflict in the strait would have dire consequences for the 
world's oil supply and the international economy. An average of 15 
tankers carrying between 16 and 17 million barrels of crude oil pass 
through the strait each day, making these waters one of the most 
strategically important oil choke points. The Department of Defense has 
stressed the importance of preventing future naval interactions in the 
region from escalating. The U.S. has a significant long-standing naval 
presence in the Persian Gulf, protecting our soldiers and marines in 
theater and international shipping lanes critical to global commerce. A 
military-to-military negotiation of bilateral ``Incidents at Sea'' 
agreement between the U.S. and Iran would codify vessel-to-vessel 
communications and improve safety, similar to the agreement during the 
Cold War.
  I ask you to join Chairman Conyers and me in support of this 
agreement.

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