[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10024]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                IRAN'S MISSION FOR NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT GARRETT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 2, 2009

  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw 
attention to Iran's mission for nuclear proliferation. If Iran were to 
acquire nuclear weapons, the repercussions would be detrimental to our 
global security. A nuclear Iran would not only pose a threat to the 
United States and our allies, but would also destabilize an already 
volatile Middle East region.
  Under the guise of energy production, Iran is today actively seeking 
to acquire nuclear weapon technology. This fact is supported by United 
Nations inspectors who have found that certain aspects of the Iranian 
nuclear program are useful only for developing nuclear weapons.
  Recently, Iran has further developed its nuclear weapons production 
capability. In December, Iran constructed a domed containment center 
adjacent to a heavy water reactor in Arak. This structure makes it 
impossible to monitor the reactor by satellite. In the past three 
months, Iran has installed nearly 1,500 centrifuges. As a result, it 
could take only 2 to 3 months for Iran to enrich uranium to weapons 
grade. Furthermore, Iran has recently acquired 2,200 pounds of low 
enriched uranium--enough for one first-generation nuclear bomb.
  A nuclear Iran would significantly impact the surrounding region. The 
repercussions would be felt not only by Middle Eastern countries, but 
also by countries around the world. The possible outcomes could range 
from a Middle Eastern nuclear arms race to the sale of nuclear 
technology to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
  It is widely accepted that Iran is one of the largest sponsors of 
terrorism; this reality has been published in the Central Intelligence 
Agency's World Factbook analysis of Iran. The United States, the United 
Nations, and the European Union have all placed economic sanctions on 
Iran due to Iran's sponsorship of terrorism. Hezbollah, a terrorist 
organization formulated and supported by Iran, is responsible for 
numerous terrorist attacks; the most infamous of these attacks occurred 
in Beirut on October 23, 1983 when Hezbollah detonated a bomb inside a 
U.S. Marine Barracks and killed nearly 300 servicemen.
  It is imperative that we in Congress do everything we can to prevent 
Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I am pleased by the recent steps 
taken by my Congressional colleagues to ensure that this event never 
takes place. Specifically, I was encouraged that the Financial Services 
Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade held a hearing 
about H.R. 1327, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, on March 12. 
Afterward, I urged Chairman Barney Frank to schedule a markup of H.R. 
1327 sometime before the April recess.
  In closing, I urge my fellow Members to support taking the necessary 
steps to limit Iran's access to nuclear weapons. We must convince Iran 
to turn away from its current, dangerous course of action.

                          ____________________