Washington, D.C.,
Dec 9, 2011 -
Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today along with 22 House Members sent a letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R, CA) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D, WA) urging them to retain during conference negotiations with the Senate provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would levy sanctions on the Iranian financial sector, including the Central Bank of Iran, in an effort to severely limit the funding sources available to the Iranian regime for use in developing nuclear weapons. The included NDAA language was put forth by Senators Mark Kirk (R, IL) and Robert Menendez (D, NJ), and approved by a rare vote of 100-0.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report on November 8th that found Iran has developed technologies and conducted research to produce nuclear weapons and deliver them. In response, the United Kingdom and Canada levied economic sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank.
“Sanctioning Iran’s financial stronghold could significantly halt the regime’s progress in developing nuclear weapons, avoiding severe consequences for the U.S. Israel, and the rest of the Middle East. I hope the conferees will not respond to pressure from the Administration to water down these sanctions and will preserve the provisions in their current form,” said Flake.
In light of the IAEA report, Congressman Flake in November along with Congressman Mike McIntyre of North Carolina introduced H.R. 3508 which, like the Kirk-Menendez language, would levy economic sanctions on foreign financial institutions that conduct business with the Central Bank of Iran. Congressman Flake strongly supports the Kirk-Menendez language, as it would put pressure on the regime and further protect oil prices from surging as a result of sanctions.
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