Sec. 2. Sense of Congress on nuclear weapon capabilities of Iran
633 words·~3 min read·
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Congress makes the following findings: The Government of Iran continues to expand the nuclear and missile programs of Iran in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Government of Iran has a decades-long track record of violating commitments regarding the nuclear program of Iran and has used diplomatic negotiations as a subterfuge to advance its nuclear weapons program. Iran remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, having directed, supported, and financed acts of terrorism against the United States and its allies that have resulted in the thousands of deaths, including the deaths of United States citizens and members of the Armed Forces of the United States.
The Government of Iran and its terrorist proxies, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah, continue to provide military and financial support to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, aiding that regime in the mass killing of the people of Syria. The Government of Iran continues to sow instability in the Middle East and threaten its neighbors, including allies of the United States, such as Israel. The Government of Iran denies its people fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience.
Strict sanctions on Iran, imposed by the United States and the international community, are responsible for bringing Iran to the negotiating table. President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has in the past admitted to using diplomatic negotiations to buy time for Iran to make nuclear advances. Based on Iran’s current stockpile of uranium enriched to 3.5 percent and 20 percent and its current centrifuge capacity, Iran could produce a sufficient quantity of weapons-grade uranium for a bomb in one to 2 months’ time.
If the Government of Iran commences the operation of its heavy water reactor in Arak, it could establish an alternate pathway to a nuclear weapon through the production of plutonium. As of the date of the enactment of this Act, 19 countries access nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without conducting any enrichment or reprocessing activities within those countries. The Government of Iran could likewise access nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without conducting any enrichment or reprocessing activities within Iran.
It is the sense of Congress that— the Government of Iran must not be allowed to develop or maintain nuclear weapon capabilities; all instruments of power and influence of the United States should remain on the table to prevent the Government of Iran from developing nuclear weapon capabilities; the Government of Iran does not have an absolute or inherent right to enrichment and reprocessing capabilities and technologies under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at Washington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968, and entered into force March 5, 1970 (commonly known as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ); the imposition of sanctions under this Act, including sanctions on exports of petroleum from Iran, is triggered by violations by Iran of any interim or final agreement regarding its nuclear program, failure to reach a final agreement in a discernible time frame, or the breach of other conditions described in section 301; if the Government of Israel is compelled to take military action in legitimate self-defense against Iran's nuclear weapon program, the United States Government should stand with Israel and provide, in accordance with the law of the United States and the constitutional responsibility of Congress to authorize the use of military force, diplomatic, military, and economic support to the Government of Israel in its defense of its territory, people, and existence; the United States should continue to impose sanctions on the Government of Iran and its terrorist proxies for their continuing sponsorship of terrorism; and the United States should continue to impose sanctions on the Government of Iran for— its ongoing abuses of human rights; and its actions in support of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.