[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15083]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             IRAN SANCTIONS

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I want to talk briefly about the breaking 
news today that the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder 
announced that a plan was conceived, sponsored, and directed from Iran 
to conduct bombings in Washington, DC, and potentially also in Buenos 
Aires, Argentina. This is from a government that Secretary of State 
Clinton designated as a state sponsor of terror. It is what I would 
think of as a very audacious, forward-leaning plan to attack the United 
States, its people, and foreign embassies in the Nation's capital.
  Tomorrow, in the Senate Banking Committee, we will meet with our 
Under Secretary of the Treasury, a very able man named David Cohen. I 
urge the administration to look at what is the most effective sanction 
currently pending on our docket against the terrorists in Iran.
  Earlier this year, we had 92 Senators--just about the entire Senate-- 
sign a letter to the President calling for the Treasury Department to 
execute a strategy to collapse the Central Bank of Iran.
  These are the pay masters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps 
and the intelligence service of Iran--the MOIS--that appear to be 
involved in the plot that the Attorney General revealed today. It is 
that action--to cut the Central Bank of Iran off from the central 
payment backbone of the Federal Reserve; obviously, to do it in 
cooperation with Saudi and Israeli officials, and given indications 
from London, from Paris, and from Berlin, probable action by our NATO 
allies as well--to cripple Iran's currency, to make sure what is called 
Bank Markazi has no access to the payment mechanisms of the West that 
will lead to a collapse of its currency.
  I applaud David Cohen for designating at least five individuals as 
sponsors of terror who were part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's 
force--Quds Force--but I think this doesn't go far enough. With the 
Attorney General of the United States directly blaming the Government 
of Iran for this bomb plot against targets in the capital city of the 
United States, it is clear, with overwhelming bipartisan support and 92 
Senators behind the effort to collapse the Central Bank of Iran, that 
would be an effective nonmilitary way to address what is clearly an 
utterly irresponsible and largely out of control IRGC and MOIS, who 
were seeking to attack American targets.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip is recognized.
  Mr. DURBIN. Before speaking on the issue of the bombing, let me 
commend my colleague from Illinois for speaking out on this Iranian 
plot, state-sponsored Iranian plot, to destroy the Saudi and Israeli 
Embassies in Washington, DC. It is an outrage that they would reach 
this far, obviously, into the United States. We know they have backed 
terrorism forever, as my colleague said, having been recognized by our 
government as a state sponsor of terrorism. We need to heighten the 
sanctions on Iran and make it clear this type of action will not be 
countenanced.
  Many of us still recall it is only a few days after the 10th 
anniversary of 9/11, the last time terrorists decided they would strike 
in the United States. Regardless of whether the Embassy is for the 
United States, it is in the United States. Being here, it is protected 
property of our Nation.
  I would say to the administration--to back my colleague from 
Illinois--let's look for every available means to let the Iranians know 
this conduct is not only unacceptable but we will do everything we can 
to disable them from any further actions along these lines through 
sanctions.

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