Officials said the congressional effort was meant to support warnings by
the administration that the United States was prepared to impose harsh
sanctions on Iran unless the two sides agreed on a resolution to the nuclear
crisis. They said any U.S. effort would have the support of the European
Union and most Arab League states.
On Aug. 3, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed Iran with
American diplomats throughout the world. Ms. Clinton raised the prospect of
eventual sanctions on the Teheran regime.
"We're not prepared to talk about any specific steps," Ms. Clinton said.
"But I have said repeatedly, in the absence of some positive response from
the Iranian government, the international
community will consult about next steps and certainly next steps can include
certain sanctions."
In late July, the Senate approved a bill that would ban government
contracts to companies that sell fuel to Iran. The House has passed
legislation that would halt government credits to foreign
oil companies that supply fuel to Iran or help its energy industry.
In 2008, the Senate Banking Committee approved by a vote of 19-2, a
comprehensive bill on Iran sanctions. The bill was designed to block the
flow of U.S. dual-use technology to
Iran and enable local government and pension funds to divest from firms
active in the Iranian energy sector.
"Regrettably, an irresponsible few blocked that bill from coming to the
floor," Dodd said during a committee hearing on July 30. "Since that time,
problems posed by a defiant Iranian government have only grown. This regime
has continued to pursue its nuclear ambitions. This regime has continued to
fund terrorist activities throughout the Middle East."
Officials and analysts have warned that the United States must garner
international support for additional sanctions on Iran. They cited
widespread Western European, Chinese and Russian violations of current
restrictions on dual-use exports to Iran, including trucks, electronic
products and technology.
"Striking on our own, I think, will not have the intended effect that we
want," former Assistant of Secretary of State Nicholas Burns told the
committee. "And we would not want a situation to develop where we create
divisions between, say, Europe and the United States at a time when we ought
to be united and focused on Iran itself."
Officials said Congress has been briefed on Iran's advance toward
nuclear weapons capability. Key House and Senate members have been told that
Iran has completed the nuclear fuel cycle as well as the design of a nuclear
warhead.
The administration has given Iran until September to launch a dialogue
to end Teheran's refusal to stop uranium enrichment. Officials said
the White House was prepared to impose new sanctions by 2010.
For his part, Burns, who has advised the White House and State
Department, said the administration must persuade China and Russia to
support any new sanctions. Both Beijing and Moscow have been deemed leading
suppliers to Iran's strategic programs.
"This is the test of our diplomacy in September and October of this
year," Burns, now a professor at Harvard University, said.
