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Thank you Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank our distinguished witnesses, for agreeing to appear before our Committee today.
Creating an effective long-term strategy regarding Iran is one of the highest priorities for the United States.
The regime has called for Israel to be “wiped off the map,” continues to refer to the United States as the “Great Satan,” and has recently hosted an appalling conference aimed at denying the Holocaust.
Iran’s aggressive words, however, are not mere rhetoric.
Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism, enabling the murder of countless civilians and endangering international security by supplying weapons, funding, training, and sanctuary to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Iran continues to supply the Shiite Islamist groups in Iraq with money, training, and weapons such as the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that are used to target U.S. coalition troops in Iraq.
Iran’s support for these extremist groups is a major factor in the sectarian strife and attacks taking place in Iraq.
If we fail in Iraq, Iran would be liberated to dominate the oil-producing Persian Gulf and to increase its support for Islamist militant extremists, thereby spreading instability throughout the region.
Iran’s self-proclaimed goal is the promotion of an Islamist revolution worldwide.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the following statement earlier this month:
• “We must believe in the fact that Islam is not confined to geographical borders, ethnic groups and nations. It’s a universal ideology… We don’t shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world… We must prepare ourselves to rule the world.” (Iran Focus, January 5, 2007.)
As the entire world knows, Iran has embarked on a major program to develop nuclear weapons, which threatens to radically transform the balance of power in the Middle East.
Iran's nuclear capabilities would change perceptions of the military balance in the region and could pose serious challenges to the United States in terms of deterrence and defense.
But the threat posed by Iran goes beyond its sponsorship of terror or its pursuit of nuclear weapons—although Iran’s leadership has already expressed its willingness to assist other problem countries in obtaining a nuclear capability.
With respect to cooperation between Iran and other terrorist nations, former CIA Director Tenet noted in his February 2004 threat assessment briefing to Congress:
''Iran appears to be willing to supply missile-related technology to countries of concern and publicly advertises its artillery rockets and related technologies, including guidance instruments and missile propellants.''
On chemical weapons, government, private, and intelligence sources report that Iran is pursuing a program to develop and stockpile these weapons.
Reports state that Iran may already have stockpiled blister, blood, choking and nerve agents, and the bombs and artillery shells to deliver them, which they had previously manufactured.
With respect to biological weapons, it has been reported that Iran probably has an offensive biological weapons program; that it continues to seek dual-use materials, equipment and expertise which can be used in that program; and that it has the capability to produce at least small quantities of BW agents and a limited ability to weaponize them.
Some have argued that the solution to the Iranian threat is to engage in direct talks with the Iranian regime.
I strongly disagree.
We must not abandon a long-standing U.S. policy of not negotiating with terrorists.
I believe that engaging Iran without preconditions would:
Instead, if we can persuade our allies to reduce or even halt the range of commercial ties with the Iranian regime, we could deprive Tehran of the revenues it needs to continue its destructive policies.
I call upon our European allies and all responsible nations to take immediate steps to end investments in Iran’s energy sector and to adopt other sanctions to deprive the tyrannical regime of revenue necessary to pursue their nuclear weapons program.
As part of this effort, my distinguished colleague Chairman Lantos and I authored the Iranian Freedom Support Act, signed into law in November and is already being used to great effect.
I also plan to introduce another bill that targets the Iranian elite and a critical component of the Iranian economy- its energy sector.
Among other provisions, the bill calls for public and private pension and thrift savings plans to divest from U.S. and foreign companies that have invested $20 million or more in that sector.
I have been working with Chairman Lantos on this measure and hope that we will have an agreement soon so that we may introduce.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to secure passage of this and other measures to weaken the regime in Tehran and compel it to permanently cease those activities that pose a threat to U.S. national security, our interests, and our allies.
I would like to once again thank our experts for testifying here today and look forward to hearing their testimonies.
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