Iran: First, the Good News...
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Here's the good news: Thanks to your lobbying this summer, key House leaders are reconsidering legislation calling in effect for a blockade of Iran that could provoke a war.
Now the bad news: The legislation, H. Con. Res. 362, has 262 cosponsors, more than half of the House. And FCNL lobbyists have learned that supporters of an all stick, no carrot approach to Iran will be using this bill as a starting point as they continue to push for new sanctions next week.
Timing is everything. Members of Congress return to Washington on September 8 for a three-week session before heading out again to campaign. It will be difficult to pass any legislation on this compressed timetable, but supporters of new Iran sanctions are going to try their hardest. Behind the scenes, they are lobbying the House leadership to get some version of their bill through before Congress adjourns at the end of September, perhaps by attaching it to one of the few bills that must pass this month.
You can help prevent a war. How can the United States help prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons? The best strategy would be for this country to pursue unconditional, face-to-face negotiations and work with the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor Iran's nuclear power program. Draconian sanctions, threats of a blockade, and a diplomatic quarantine would jeopardize that process.
.Take Action
Ask your representative to vote against any legislation that would discourage the United States from engaging in unconditional, face-to-face diplomatic talks with Iran.
In particular, urge your representative to vote against the Iran sanctions legislation, H. Con. Res. 362. This legislation effectively calls for a blockade of Iran and a travel ban on all Iranian officials, including diplomats, which would make all but impossible the negotiations that are key to preventing a war. Blocking all oil imports to Iran would punish the country's people, not their government.
Background
The United States can play a key role in preventing a new war in the region by supporting face-to-face diplomatic negotiations with Iran - a bipartisan strategy endorsed by almost every living former secretary of state, including Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell.
Unfortunately, the administration and Congress have chosen to ignore this advice and pursue a strategy that includes public calls for regime change, escalating punitive sanctions, and, according to some accounts, a covert proxy war that is already underway in Iran.
Instead of calling for new sanctions on Iran, Congress should pass legislation that calls for two things:
- Unconditional U.S. diplomatic negotiations with Iran: Face-to-face U.S. diplomatic negotiations with Iran are the key to ending the saber-rattling. A new diplomatic initiative could also help bring the war in Iraq to a close and establish the foundation for peace initiatives between Israel and its neighbors. The United States has never tried this approach.
- Support for the IAEA. This agency won the Nobel Prize for its successful efforts to prevent Iraq from developing new weapons of mass destruction (efforts whose success was proven when the United States failed to find any such weapons in Iraq after the invasion). Now the IAEA leadership is in the middle of a campaign to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The United States should let the process work.
Find talking points on why the Iran blockade resolution could lead to war and questions and answers about this dangerous legislation.
Contacting Legislators
Contact your members of Congress through FCNL's web site.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Sen. ________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Rep. ________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
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