Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for your leadership on this very important issue.

I want to pause to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins) for his leadership on the other side of the aisle.

Last week, Congress took a rare break from our work here and from partisanship. We came together to remember those who died on 9/11 and during the war on terrorism. We stood together on the Capitol steps, and we pledged that we would never forget the heartbreaking events of that fateful day. One of the ways we can honor the memory of those who lost their lives is to be prepared so that our country will never again experience such a tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, that's why I'm standing before you today, thanking you and the Members of the body for putting partisanship aside and for working together to keep our families and our communities safe from new and emerging threats to our Nation.

We are all aware of the Iranian nuclear threat in the Middle East and globally, but there is another potential threat from Iran and its proxies that is closer to home. That threat is an emerging Iranian- backed terror network here in the Western Hemisphere. What we already know is very alarming.

We know about last October's foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. here on American soil.

We know that Iran has vastly expanded its diplomatic and economic footprint in Latin America. For example, we know about the Department of Defense's 2012 Annual Report on Iran that stated:

During the past three decades, Iran has methodically

cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates

capable of targeting U.S. and Israeli interests.

Just this month, the Brazilian journal Veja and others reported on a police seizure in Bolivia of 2 tons of minerals believed initially to contain uranium but more likely tantalum, which is the mineral that is in demand for, among other things, nuclear reactors and missile parts.

We know that 2 weeks ago an Israeli news organization revealed that Iran has established a Hezbollah terrorist training base in northern Nicaragua with operatives ``being trained at the base to attack Israeli and U.S. targets in the event of a raid on Iranian nuclear installations.''

And we know that just last week, press reports revealed that three suspected Hezbollah members were arrested just south of our border in Mexico.

None of this should come as a surprise. Iran has publicly stated that increasing their presence and ties to Latin America is one of their top foreign policy objectives; however, we must have the capabilities to defend ourselves from potential Iranian attacks here on the homeland. We must be able to clearly identify this emerging threat and develop strategies which include working with our neighbors here in this hemisphere to prevent Iran from being a danger to our country here at home.

Mr. Speaker, that's why this bill, H.R. 3783, establishes a strong U.S. posture, policy, and relationship with Latin American countries. It protects U.S. interests and assets in the Western Hemisphere, such as embassies, consulates, energy pipelines, and cultural organizations, including threats to U.S. allies. It addresses the vital national security interests of the United States by ensuring that energy supplies from the Western Hemisphere are

free from the influence of any foreign government that would attempt to manipulate or disrupt global energy markets.

This bill requires a secure U.S. border with the U.S. working in coordination with the governments of Mexico and Canada to prevent Iranian operatives from entering the United States. This bill counters the efforts by foreign persons, entities, and governments in the region which may assist Iran in evading U.S. and international sanctions.

Mr. Speaker and Madam Chairwoman, I urge that Members of this body come together and vote for this very important issue, H.R. 3783.

Last week marked the 11th anniversary of al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Al Qaeda, responsible for the tragic deaths of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11, has long operated with extensive ties to the Government of Iran. The 9/11 Commission documented that al Qaeda operatives traveled to Iran to receive training in explosives in the 1990s, that ``Iran facilitated the transit of al Qaeda members into and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, and that some of these were future 9/11 hijackers.'' This past February, the Treasury Department designated the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security for its support of terrorist groups including al Qaeda.

Today, the Iranian regime continues pursuing nuclear weapons against U.S. and international sanctions. It warns of striking U.S. military bases with its ballistic missiles in the event of an attack on Iran. It bullies the global energy market with its threats to block the Strait of Hormuz. Last October's foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. revealed, as DNI Director Clapper stated, a change in ``calculus'' and a willingness ``to conduct an attack in the United States.'' This year alone, a string of assassination attempts by Iran and Hezbollah in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Thailand, Georgia, and Kenya have only intensified this drumbeat.

Add to these dangers a growing Iranian presence in the Western Hemisphere and we have a serious security threat that demands a U.S. response. Since 2005, Iran has increased its embassies from 6 to 11 and built 17 cultural centers in Latin America. Iran's diplomacy has led to soaring trade with Latin American countries. Brazil increased its exports to Iran seven-fold over the past decade to an annual level of $2.12 billion. Iranian trade with Argentina and Ecuador has grown, and economic contracts between Iran and Venezuela have exploded to more than $20 billion in trade and cooperation agreements.

Iran has also boosted its military ties with Latin America. The Defense Department assesses ``with high confidence that during the past three decades Iran has methodically cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates capable of targeting U.S. and Israeli interests.'' The U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute has labeled this threat tied to the explosion of relationships between transnational crime and criminalized states in Latin America an ``emerging tier-one national security priority.'' Two weeks ago, an Israeli news organization published a story that ``Iran has established a Hizbullah terrorist training base in northern Nicaragua'' with operatives ``being trained at the base to attack Israeli and U.S. targets in the event of a raid on Iranian nuclear installations.'' Last week, press reports revealed that three suspected Hezbollah members were arrested in Mexico.

None of this should come as any surprise to us. Iran has publicly stated that ``the promotion of all-out cooperation with Latin American countries is among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic's foreign policy.'' A 2009 dossier by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs put it bluntly: ``since Ahmadinejad's rise to power, Tehran has been promoting an aggressive policy aimed at bolstering its ties with Latin American countries with the declared goal of `bringing America to its knees.'

The U.S. must have the capabilities to defend itself from a potential Iranian attack on the homeland. We must have a strong posture in our region and deepening relationships with our neighbors, so we can protect U.S. interests and keep the Western Hemisphere free from hostile agents of foreign influence. We must have secure borders to prevent Iranian operatives from entering the U.S. It is unconscionable that we should let Iran use Latin American countries as a base to prepare for potential attacks against the U.S. homeland. Iran poses an incalculable risk to the safety of the U.S. homeland. Our duty is to ensure we provide for the defense of this country, and the American people expect no less. I ask for your support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3783) to provide for a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's growing hostile presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 3783, as amended, the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012, a bill introduced by my good friend from South Carolina and a member of our Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Duncan, who is here with us.

In September, the House acted and passed the Duncan bill overwhelmingly, and last week the Senate further reiterated its strong bipartisan and bicameral support for the bill and the need to address Iran's increased presence in the Western Hemisphere.

In February, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing entitled ``Ahmadinejad's Tour of Tyrants and Iran's Agenda in the Western Hemisphere'' in order to examine the growing threat posed by Iran and its proxies to U.S. national security interests in the Western Hemisphere, a threat that first became evident 18 years ago with the deadly assault on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Eighteen years ago, so-called Iranian diplomats readily partnered with Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, to carry out the AMIA attack. Since then, Tehran has only increased its subversive actions, as well as its diplomatic and economic relations with radical regimes in Latin America.

Iran's Ahmadinejad made two trips to Latin America this year in an attempt to garner support from his fellow tyrants, the Castro brothers in Cuba, Ortega in Nicaragua, Correa in Ecuador, Chavez in Venezuela, and Morales in Bolivia. Just last week, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and the Americas finished a similar tour around Latin America seeking support for a nuclear Iran.

The Pentagon's Southern Command, SOUTHCOM, underscores that Iran continues to expand its influence throughout the region, opening more embassies and more cultural centers in Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay, in addition to its existing diplomatic missions in Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela.

According to a U.S. intelligence analyst, these diplomatic missions are simply fronts for Iran to carry out its nefarious activities in the region and a potential platform to increase the presence of Quds Force operatives, a designated foreign terrorist organization and an arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Iran is not only an enemy of the United States but also of our allies. In the recent conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the Iranian regime has time and again displayed its brazen disregard for peace by wanting to resupply the Hamas terrorist organization in Lebanon to continue their deadly rocket barrage on our greatest ally, the democratic Jewish State of Israel.

One state sponsor of terrorism after another continues to receive the royal treatment from these tyrants of Latin America. Last month, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister also visited the regimes of Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Ecuador.

After that trip, news reports indicated that Assad, a close ally of the Iranian regime, and an enabler for their Hezbollah branch, may be seeking political asylum in one of these countries as the situation in Syria continues to rapidly deteriorate.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow these violent actors a safe haven to conduct their evil schemes, and the presence of these individuals only reaffirms the significant threat posed by Iran and its proxies to the United States and to the hemisphere.

H.R. 3783 requires that the Secretary of State outline a U.S. Government-wide strategy to combat the aggressive actions of Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere, toward a comprehensive policy stance that protects the security interests of the United States.

We must do everything we can to isolate Iran and its proxies from sources of financial assistance in the hemisphere, as well as prevent entities from possibly helping Iran to evade sanctions. We must ensure that the U.S. is actively monitoring this threat and takes appropriate steps to counter the Iranian regime's agenda in our hemisphere.

I strongly support passage of this legislation, and I look forward to the President signing it into law.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I am so honored to yield 3 minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).

I yield such time as he may consume to the incoming chairman of our Foreign Affairs Committee, the esteemed gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), who is currently the chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3783) to provide for a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's growing presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012, a bill introduced by my good friend, Mr. Duncan, an esteemed member of our Foreign Affairs Committee. I would like to thank him for his hard work on the issues addressed in this important bill.

In February, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing entitled ``Ahmadinejad's Tour of Tyrants and Iran's Agenda in the Western Hemisphere'' in order to examine the threat to U.S. national security posed by Iran and Iranian-sponsored activities in the Western Hemisphere. One month later, this bipartisan measure was unanimously adopted by our Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, as we have witnessed in the last few weeks, the violence perpetrated by extremists in the Middle East against our embassies and our consulates undermines our foreign policy objectives, and we must prevent these vicious attacks from occurring in our region.

Let us not forget that 18 years ago, Iranian so-called diplomats readily partnered with Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, to carry out a deadly attack against the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Iran has only increased its subversive action since then, and over the past decade the regime has increased diplomatic and economic ties between Iran and the radical regimes in Latin America.

Iran's Ahmadinejad made two trips to Latin America this year to visit his fellow tyrants: the Castro brothers in Cuba, Ortega in Nicaragua, Correa in Ecuador, Chavez in Venezuela, and Morales in Bolivia.

In an attempt to promote its extremist propaganda, the Iranian regime recently launched a Spanish television network to reach a larger international audience centered in the Western Hemisphere. More embassies and cultural centers have opened in Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay, in addition to its existing diplomatic missions in Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela.

According to a U.S. intelligence analyst, these diplomatic missions are simply fronts for Iran to carry out its nefarious activities in the region and a potential platform to increase the presence of the Qods Force operatives, a designated foreign terrorist organization and an arm of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran.

According to media reports, Hezbollah, which is Iran's proxy, has established a training base in Nicaragua. It is also concerning that the Ortega regime in Nicaragua does not require any visas for Iranian officials to enter the country, which can then become the gateway to enter the United States through our southern border. Ten days ago, there were news reports stating that several alleged Hezbollah members were arrested in Mexico. Iran has worked tirelessly to promote its extremist ideologies and support efforts to undermine the democratic governments throughout the region.

H.R. 3783 requires the Secretary of State to outline a U.S. Government-wide strategy to fight the aggressive actions of Iran and its proxies such as Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere toward a comprehensive policy stance that will protect U.S. security interests.

This legislation calls for the administration to develop a plan to secure the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico and to prevent operatives from entering the United States. It also calls for a plan to isolate Iran and its proxies from their sources of financial support, and it addresses efforts by foreign persons, entities, and governments in the region that may be assisting Iran in evading sanctions.

Lastly, it develops a plan to protect U.S. interests and assets in our Western Hemisphere, including embassies, consulates, businesses, and cultural organizations. We must ensure that the United States is actively monitoring this threat and that it takes appropriate steps to counter the Iranian regime's agenda in our hemisphere. I strongly support the passage of this legislation.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), a member of our House Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as a member of the Homeland Security and Natural Resources Committees. More importantly, he is the author of this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Turner), a member on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Veterans' Affairs, and Homeland Security Committee.

Mr. Speaker, at this time we have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012.

I would like to thank the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Duncan, and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for their leadership on this issue.

This bill makes available $1 million of Andean counternarcotics funding for the State Department to generate an assessment of the challenge posed to our country by Iran's presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere, as well as a strategy to address whatever threats we may face from the Iranian regime.

Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, its continued support for international terrorism, and its abuse of basic human rights require the United States to maintain extreme vigilance in monitoring and countering its threats around the world. Though our goal has not yet been realized, thanks to the leadership of Congress and the Obama administration, more pressure has been placed on the Iranian regime than ever before. While Iran's behavior poses a clear and obvious danger to its own people, its neighbors, and to our ally Israel, its presence closer to our shores also deserves watchful attention.

The Foreign Affairs Committee has heard significant testimony on this issue from both the administration and private sources. In my capacity of first as chairman and now as ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I think there is ample evidence that Iran is up to no good in the Western Hemisphere.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly and defiantly signaled to the U.S. in his six trips to our hemisphere that he is trolling for friends. Although it seems what Iran actually places on the table of the countries he visits is a stack of unmet promises, it is important that the U.S. Government remain vigilant and dig much deeper into the nature and effectiveness of these Iranian regime actions.

None of this occurs in a vacuum. Iran was complicit in the horrific bombings of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and of the AMIA Jewish Community Center, also in Buenos Aires, which I have visited on numerous occasions. This happened in the first half of the 1990s, so it can easily be said that the first terrorist attacks on Latin American soil happened with Iran in control. We also have evidence of Iran's increasing willingness to conduct an attack on U.S. soil, such as the discovery this year of a twisted Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador here in Washington.

We must be alert to any Iranian attempts to circumvent sanctions and stand against efforts to curry favor with our neighbors to loosen those sanctions. We should continue to monitor intelligence links and watch the Iranian diplomatic corps, given its historical involvement in nefarious acts. We should keep a close eye on financial transactions; the chaotic nexus of drug money and terrorism in this region, in particular, deserves serious notice.

Finally, it is important to express that my support for this legislation is not in any way an indication that the Obama administration has not taken this issue seriously. The President has himself stated that his administration will continue to monitor Iran's activities in the Western Hemisphere closely, and I have personally engaged enough administration officials to be persuaded that they understand the gravity of the situation and are giving it the attention it deserves.

Still, we must be particularly vigilant toward the relationship between Iran and Venezuela, given the opacity of the ties between the regimes governing each country and the anti-American bombast of their leaders. However, there are some positive notes in our region. I would like to extend my appreciation to Brazil, the largest democracy in the hemisphere outside of the United States, which, under President Rousseff, has significantly cooled its relationship with Iran and has cast important votes in the U.N. Human Rights Council critical of the Iranian regime.

Today's polarization and bluster in Washington on so many issues can have the effect of making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. We cannot let that happen here. The stakes are too high. So, with this legislation, we provide both a strong signal to the administration to continue to monitor this situation closely as well as the resources to look across U.S. agency efforts and enforcement capabilities to make sure they are in lockstep.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield 4 minutes to my friend and colleague from the great State of New York, who is the lead Democratic sponsor of this bill, Mr. Higgins.

At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

I also yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

I would like to begin by thanking Jeff Duncan and his staff, as well, for their good work on this legislation. But I would remind the Members, in terms of Iranian activity in this hemisphere, we think what first comes to mind is the attack in the 1990s in Argentina. But more recently, Hezbollah has penetrated our borders. One example I would give to you is Mahmoud Kourani, trained by Iranian intelligence. He paid a bribe in order to get to Mexico from Beirut. Once in Mexico, he paid a second bribe, this time to a cartel group, in order to have himself inserted into a special compartment in the back of a car.

The reason Mahmoud Kourani is important is because it was his brother who was in charge of security in Israel during the Hezbollah war. I was there at the time. I saw those missiles that were ordered launched by Hezbollah into the town of Haifa. Haifa was under attack. There were some 600 casualties in that hospital that were a direct result of those Iranian and Syrian missiles that were being fired on the hospital-- frankly, one of the targets--but fired on that town, fired on the residential sections of that city.

So the brother was caught coming into the United States. Actually, he was caught near Detroit. He's now serving time. There were some 50 other Hezbollah operatives who were also discovered here. When you go through the background of his training in terror in terms of weapons and in terms of the capabilities that Iranian intelligence gave him, you begin to realize why our intelligence officials are so concerned about Iran's attempts to penetrate here.

Look at Iran's attempt last year to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador on U.S. soil using a Mexican drug cartel. That's the latest example of the threat. I've had many ambassadors tell me that they dined in that same restaurant. You saw the commentary that they were willing to accept their deaths as collateral damage to the bombing in order to kill the Saudi Ambassador.

These are the designs of Hezbollah. This is the problem with Iran. Many believe that countries close to Iran and that they're courting in this hemisphere, they're doing it because they're trying to help them beat back these sanctions--the sanctions bill which Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and I are going to be meeting on this afternoon. This is an attempt of Iran to extend their authority and try to convince those would-be allies that they should help them avoid these sanctions.

I'll just quote our DNI, Director of National Intelligence. He told us:

The dangerous activities of Iran and Hezbollah so near our

borders demand a whole-of-government strategy, beginning with

an interagency review to understand and assess the

transnational multifaceted nature of this problem and to

mobilize friendly governments to respond.

We're concerned that the administration is not doing that. That's why in this legislation we are pushing for this action. This bill requires that review; it requires that strategy. It will kick the bureaucracy into gear, and it enjoys strong bipartisan support. I urge its passage.

This is an issue that the House Foreign Affairs Committee looks forward to continuing our oversight and work on in the 113th Congress. I really commend the chairwoman and Mr. Duncan for their work.