Tracking Number: 394155
Title: "Presidential Executive Order Expands US Sanctions Against Iran." Press briefing opening statement by Secretary of State Warren Christopher, May 1, 1995. Christopher notes
that the President's decision to expand existing US sanctions against Iran reinforces this nation's overall strategy toward the Middle East. (950508)
Date: 19950508
Text:
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE DISPATCH
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 19, MAY 8, 1995
Presidential Executive Order Expands U.S. Sanctions Against Iran Secretary Christopher Opening statement at a State Department press briefing, Washington, DC, May 1, 1995
Last night, as you know, the President announced an important decision regarding U.S. policy toward Iran. His executive order will ban all U.S. trade and investment with Iran, including the purchase of Iranian oil by American companies. This action dramatically expands existing U.S. sanctions against Iran, which are already the toughest in the world.
The President's decision reinforces our overall strategy toward the Middle East. From the outset, advancing the Arab-Israeli peace process and maintaining security in the Gulf have been among the highest foreign policy priorities of our Administration.
As many of you recall, my first trip to the Middle East included a stop in the Gulf. At that time and on many occasions since then, almost every Middle Eastern leader--Arab and Israeli alike--has told me that Iran represents one of the greatest, if not the greatest threat to peace and stability in the region.
With that in mind, our policy toward Iran has been consistent from the start; that is, to use our diplomatic and economic measures and our military deterrent to contain Iran and to pressure it to cease its unacceptable actions.
We have had some successes working with our G-7 partners and other nations, but it is clear now that more must be done. Iran is an outlaw state. Its repugnant behavior has not changed. Let me be clear about what our main concerns are.
First, Iran is the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Second, through its support of particular terrorist enterprises, Iran seeks to undermine the Middle East peace process. Third, Iran is a major proliferation threat and is pursuing a determined course to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran's backing for international terrorism is pervasive. It has supported violence across the Middle East--in Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, and now in Gaza. Its terrorist reach is also global, extending to Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe as well.
We estimate that Iran, a country that is now in the throes of a severe economic crisis, nevertheless spends several hundred million dollars a year to provide radical groups with weapons, equipment, training, and financial support.
Iran is the primary patron of terrorists trying to derail the Arab- Israeli peace process. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Ahmed Jabril's Popular Front: each of these organizations receives funds, training, and political support from Iran--support which they have used to leave a trail of carnage from Bayt Lid to Buenos Aires.
A regime with this kind of record simply cannot be permitted to get its hands on nuclear weapons. Based on a wide variety of data, we know that since the mid-1980s Iran has had an organized structure dedicated to acquiring and developing nuclear weapons.
We know that Iran is seeking a capability to produce both plutonium and highly enriched uranium--the critical materials for a nuclear bomb. For years, Iran has been trying to purchase heavy-water research reactors that are best suited to producing weapons-grade plutonium, not electricity. We know that Iran is devoting resources to various uranium- enrichment technologies focusing on the gas centrifuge.
Iran has been frustrated so far in its efforts to produce weapons-grade material at home. Therefore, it has aggressively sought to buy it abroad. Its agents have scoured the former Soviet Union in search of nuclear materials, technologies, and scientists. In 1992, for example, Iran unsuccessfully approached a plant in Kazakhstan for substantial quantities of enriched uranium. In terms of its organization, programs, procurement, and covert activities, Iran is pursuing the classic route to nuclear weapons which has been followed by almost all states that have recently sought a nuclear capability.
If the international community does not take strong action to counter its efforts, Iran will achieve its goal. When that might happen, no one can predict with certainty--but what we do know is that if Iran gets substantial foreign help, it will be able to build nuclear weapons sooner rather than later.
That is why we will continue to oppose any Russian or Chinese cooperation with Iran on nuclear matters. We are convinced that the expertise and technology gained--even from cooperation that appears to be strictly civilian in nature--will be used to advance Iran's nuclear weapons program. For that reason, all the leading industrialized democracies of the world have rejected nuclear trade with Iran because they recognize that it is simply too dangerous to do so.
With its proven record of terrorism and aggressive ambitions, Iran cannot be given the benefit of the doubt. In-creased international pressure must be applied to Iran to bring about a change in its policies.
That is exactly the goal of the President's executive order. It sends an unmistakable message to friend and foe alike: We view Iran's action as a major threat to United States interests and international security, and we are determined to stop them.
In recent months, other countries have pointed to the ongoing--although heavily restricted--economic ties between the United States and Iran. They have pointed to those ties to justify their broad-based commercial relationships. Now, the President's decision totally eliminates that excuse for their going ahead. The President's decision underscores America's readiness to lead by example. It puts the United States in the strongest possible position to urge others to take similar steps.
In addition to opposing Russian and Chinese nuclear cooperation with Iran, we will be calling on our G-7 partners to undertake a comprehensive review of their economic ties to Iran. Certainly, they should end all of their concessionary credits which allow Iran to divert scarce resources to military programs and sponsoring terrorism. We're also asking our G-7 partners to show maximum restraint across the board just as the United States has done.
The President has taken a bold step. His action deserves the support of our friends and allies who share our interest in international peace and security. I'll be redoubling my own efforts through various diplomatic steps and means to ensure that such support is forthcoming. (###) NNNN
Product Name: Dispatch, Vol 5 No 19 May 8 1995
Product Code: DP
Keywords: IRAN-US RELATIONS; SANCTIONS/Policy; CHRISTOPHER, WARREN/Speaker; TERRORISM; MILITARY CAPABILITIES; NUCLEAR
WEAPONS
Document Type: TXT
Thematic Codes: 1NE
PDQ Text Link: 394155
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