IRAN THREAT REDUCTION AND SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT OF 2012; Congressional Record Vol. 158, No. 118

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IRAN THREAT REDUCTION AND SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT OF 2012

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speech of

HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

of ohio

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to \[H.R. 1905\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/1905), the

Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. This is yet

another broad and indiscriminate sanctions bill that will only serve to

hurt ordinary Iranian people, undermine their democracy movement and

further tie the hands of the President and his team in their efforts to

achieve a diplomatic resolution over its nuclear program.

Proponents of this bill believe that tightening sanctions on Iran

will bring us closer to a diplomatic solution with Iran. We only need

to look to the latest round of failed talks to recognize that these

sanctions achieved the exact opposite response. U.S. negotiators lacked

the flexibility they needed to secure Iranian concessions through the

freezing of certain sanctions.

I strongly support Section 604 of this bill which makes clear that

nothing in this bill shall be construed as a declaration of war or an

authorization of the use of force against Iran or Syria. Yet this bill

would further undermine and thwart the most effective tool we have to

ensure that the United States does not get sucked into a war with Iran:

diplomacy.

The Effects of Sanctions on Ordinary Iranian People

The Senate Banking Committee summarized this bill by saying that it

\\\`\\\`aims to prevent Iran from repatriating any of the revenue from sale

of its crude oil, depriving Iran of hard currency earnings and funds to

run its state budget.'' Spoken plainly, this bill will destroy the

Iranian economy and further hurt the Iranian people that we claim to

support. Iranians are already suffering under stifling sanctions as

they experience rising food prices and a lack of access to basic

medicine.

For example, the sanctions against the Iranian banking sector have

greatly diminished the value of Iranian currency and have had a

negative effect on nearly every aspect of the lives of ordinary

Iranians: the price of rent, education and bread have all increased.

Rather than having the sanctions weaken the Iranian regime, they are

weakening the Iranian people and their ability to make a living or

pursue an education.

A recent publication by the International Civil Society Action

Network (ICAN) quotes an Iranian women's rights activist as saying that

\\\`\\\`The international community's sole focus on the nuclear issue has

resulted in the adoption of policies that greatly inflict damage on the

Iranian people, civil society and women. Militarization of the

environment will prompt repressive state policies and the possibility

of promoting reform in Iran will diminish.''

The report further highlights that the sanctions this Congress pushed

\\\`\\\`directly affected the availability of foreign-made medication and

other healthcare products including vitamins for children and pregnant

women. . . .'' It points out that these sanctions are \\\`\\\`doing the most

damage to those who are already vulnerable--the urban poor.''

Iranian-Americans are even facing discrimination here in the United

States. Several Iranian-Americans were recently prevented from buying

an iPhone or other Apple products simply because of their ethnicity.

Such discriminatory treatment is emblematic of the unintended effects

of sanctions.

Undermining the Iranian Civil Society

These sanctions directly undermine Iran's civil society by giving the

regime an excuse to crack down even harder on internal dissent. These

sanctions will ensure that this continues to happen. With many ordinary

Iranians struggling to simply make ends meet under our sanctions

regime, they cannot afford to or spend the time necessary participating

in social movements which provide basic social services or to push for

democratic change in their country. Are these the intended effects we

wish to have on the Iranian people or Iranian-Americans? If not,

passing another broad and indiscriminate sanctions bill sends the wrong

message.

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If the sanctions the U.S. imposed on Iraq are any precedent, we know

that sanctions are not an effective tool in promoting or supporting

domestic democracy movements. We also know that those sanctions did not

prevent an unnecessary and wasteful war with Iraq.

In effect, the expansion of the broad and indiscriminate sanctions

included in this legislation hurts our ability to negotiate with Iran

and imposes long-term detrimental harm on the Iranian people. It

detracts from the real human rights abuses currently occurring in Iran

by allowing the regime to deflect blame on the United States and its

allies.

Supporting Regime Change and Tying the President's hands

Section 217 in this bill effectively states that sanctions on Iran's

central bank would not be lifted unless there is regime change. It does

this by creating new requirements for the termination of sanctions that

are dependent on the cessation of the Central Bank's financing of the

Revolutionary Guard. Section 205 imposes new restrictions on the

President's ability to waive certain sanctions. Collectively, these

provisions have moved the goal post from negotiations over Iran's

nuclear enrichment program to regime change. The U.S. record on

successful regime changes is not impressive.

The National Iranian American Council has pointed out that this

legislation \\\`\\\`imposes collective punishment on the Iranian people by

seeking to destroy the Iranian economy. The goal is to bankrupt Iran,

and cause hyperinflation by destroying the value of Iran's currency,

the rial.''

If your goal is to punish the Iranian people, undermine their brave

efforts to push for democracy, and thwart our sensitive and critical

negotiations, then support this bill. If not, I urge you to join me in

opposing this legislation.

Syria Sanctions Included in This Legislation

This legislation also requires the President to impose sanctions on

actors that are responsible for or complicit in certain human rights

abuses in Syria.

This legislation fails to acknowledge that the United States and a

number of our allies are actively participating in stoking the violence

on the ground, including through the arming and support of Syrian rebel

groups. Divisions and in-fighting within the various militias operating

on the ground are already occurring. If our own intelligence agencies

are unable to fully grasp what is transpiring on the ground in Syria,

we can be sure that these targeted sanctions will overlook other non-

state actors that are participating in human rights abuses.

Recent reports also indicate that the instability and chaos in Syria

has opened the door for fundamentalist groups to move in, including Al

Qaeda. This threatens stability in the region as a whole and U.S.

allies in the region, including Israel.

We can all agree that the violence in Syria must end. But in order to

do that, supporters on both sides of the conflict must cease providing

either side with the tools to continue this bloody conflict.

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