Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) for yielding. I also want to thank him and my dear friend Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their leadership on this bill. I know that Mr. Berman, in particular, is very focused on the central bank and sanctioning of them, and so I thank him for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, last month the IAEA released a report on Iran's covert nuclear program that was troubling, to say the least. Not only is Iran continuing to enrich uranium, but they're also believed to be pursuing the development of delivery technologies to create a warhead that could threaten Israel and our allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf, not to mention the over 200,000 Americans that are in the region.

On top of these dangerous risks, Iran's continued nuclear development runs the risk, of course, of launching a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Indeed, just last week, a former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, confirmed our worst fears, suggesting that his country might begin to pursue a nuclear capability in response to Iranian nuclear development.

Iran has continued its sponsorship of terrorism against our ally, Israel, and carries out gross human rights abuses against its own people. Sanctions against Iran's energy, transportation, and financial sectors are intended to, and I believe, will make clear to Iran the steep costs of its choices. That is why I am in strong support of this resolution, the Iran Threat Reduction Act and the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on both.

We know from history that ignoring the threats of leaders, ignoring their building up of capabilities to threaten the rest of the world, is done so at great peril and at great cost.

I urge my colleagues to support this very important piece of legislation. I thank Mr. Berman and Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

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