[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18694]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       A UNIQUE MOMENT IN HISTORY

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, it appears as though the rumored 
sanctions legislation dealing with Iran may not reach the floor this 
week. This would be good news.
  It is imperative that we take this optimistic development that gives 
us a chance for a diplomatic resolution of the differences with Iran 
and prevent them from developing nuclear weapons to come to fruition. 
We must not give excuses to Iranian hardliners who hate America a 
reason to walk away. We don't want to confuse our allies, who we rely 
upon to make sanctions work, about our intentions.
  It is imperative that we move forward aggressively, thoughtfully, to 
make the most out of this 6 months, using diplomacy to make sure that 
the majority of Iranians who recently voted for a change in direction 
with a relative moderate as President are reinforced.
  This is a unique moment in history. I am pleased that it looks like 
the House might not screw it up.

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