Iran

November 03, 2009 -- Thirty years ago today, the American Embassy in Tehran was seized. The 444 days that began on November 4, 1979 deeply affected the lives of courageous Americans who were unjustly held hostage, and we owe these Americans and their families our gratitude for their extraordinary service and sacrifice.    » read more »

Bayh, Lieberman, and Kyl Call for Prompt Final Passage of Bill by Full Senate

October 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) issued the following statement today, following the unanimous passage by the Senate Banking Committee of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2009:    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Congressman Howard L. Berman (CA-28), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194):

“The committee will mark up the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act on Wednesday, October 28. By then it will be nearly six full months since I introduced this legislation, now cosponsored by 327 Members.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) -- The United States House of Representatives today passed H.R. 1327, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009, of which Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) is a cosponsor. The bill gives federal authority to state and local governments that want to divest their public pension funds from foreign companies with more than $20 million invested in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill also removes legal barriers that would prevent mutual fund and corporate pension fund managers from cutting ties with these companies.    » read more »

Overwhelmingly bipartisan bill divests from Iran's Energy Sector

10/14/09 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Rep. Eric Massa voted to help pass the overwhelmingly bipartisan Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009. This bill, which passed by a vote of 414-6, is designed to authorize State and local governments to direct divestiture from, and prevent investment in, companies with investments of $20,000,000 or more in Iran's energy sector. This is just one step in the overall effort to hold those that enable Iran accountable.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Today, a strong, bi-partisan majority in the House of Representatives voted to pass the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 (HR 1327). This legislation would ease the path for state and local governments and pension plans to divest themselves of investments in Iran's oil or natural gas sectors. Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (TX‑20), a co-sponsor of the legislation, issued the following statement on the 414-6 vote.    » read more »

Washington, DC, Oct 13 - On Tuesday, Congressman Scott Murphy applauded the passage of the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009, which authorizes state and local governments to divest their pension funds from companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill, HR 1327, targets companies that provide at least $20 million in credit or investment in Iran’s energy sector. The bill also gives approval for state and local governments to enforce similar local laws that have already been enacted before the bill takes effect.    » read more »

Washington, Oct 13 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a long time advocate for peace and nuclear abolition, was today the only Member of Congress to speak out against H.R. 1327 - Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009.

“In 1996, Congress passed the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act which sanctioned foreign investment in Iran’s energy sector. There are those who have said it didn’t accomplish much. There are those who are now saying, that if we move forward with sanctions it would undermine the interests of nations, like China and Russia, which the U.S. needs to work with in order to bring Iran into the international community in a way that promotes international security.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey applauded Senate passage of the concurrent resolution encouraging the Government of Iran to grant consular access by the Government of Switzerland to the three American citizens that have been held in Iran since July 31, 2009 when they were detained after reportedly crossing into Iranian territory while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The resolution also encourages the Government of Iran to allow the three young people to communicate by telephone with their families in the United States.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representative today approved a measure that bars companies that sell or ship gasoline to Iran from receiving funds to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. U.S. Senators Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who authored the measure, applauded today’s action and noted the message sent by Congress on the day the Obama Administration begins its engagement with the Iranians in Geneva, Switzerland.    » read more »

10/01/2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) authored the following op-ed in today’s Financial Times titled “Time for Diplomacy to End the Stand-off With Iran.”

The full text of the op-ed is below:

Time for diplomacy to end the stand-off with Iran
By John Kerry
October 1, 2009

Today the Obama administration begins the most important American diplomatic engagement with Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The public revelation of the Qom enrichment facility and Iran’s provocative ballistic missile test on Monday demonstrate what is at stake. Iran has increased its low-enriched uranium 20-fold since 2007, enough to produce, eventually, at least one nuclear weapon after further enrichment.    » read more »

Administration to Start Negotiations with Iranian Government Thursday

September 29, 2009 -- Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced he is working on a bill to expand the President’s ability to sanction Iran as the United States heads towards negotiations with that country. The Senate Banking Committee has jurisdiction over financial and economic sanctions.

“If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons capability, it would pose a significant threat to peace and security in the Middle East, especially to our close ally Israel,” said Dodd. “That is a threat to both national security and global stability – and it cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.”    » read more »

Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on the current crisis in iran

June 23, 2009 -- The AFL-CIO, representing over 11 million working women and men in the United States, expresses its deep concern over the immediate situation in Iran, following the contested election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Several people have been killed and many more wounded and injured by Iranian government forces attempting to repress massive demonstrations demanding either an annulment of the elections or a vote recount.    » read more »

June 20, 2009 -- "The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.    » read more »

June 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-Conn.) introduced and the Senate passed a resolution today regarding the situation in Iran. A parallel resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), where it was passed 405-1 earlier today. Senators McCain and Lieberman issued the following statement:

"The time has come for the United States Congress to speak out unequivocally in support of the fundamental right of the Iranian people to determine their future for themselves in freedom," said Senators McCain and Lieberman.    » read more »