AJC Urges Obama Administration to Support Menendez-Kirk Iran Sanctions Amendment

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Dec 07, 2011, 03:43 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is urging the Obama Administration to support the Menendez-Kirk Iran Sanctions Amendment, which the Senate passed unanimously last week. In a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, AJC emphasized the need for "intensifying the existing sanctions regime" to stop Iranian efforts to build nuclear weapons.

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"We are immensely appreciative of the Administration's efforts to thwart Iran's drive for nuclear weapons capability," wrote AJC Executive Director David Harris. "It is against this background that we strongly urge reconsideration of any efforts by the Administration to dilute this amendment."

AJC supports the Menendez-Kirk amendment, which, among other sanctions, would restrict dealings with Iran's Central Bank. "We hope that this initiative, as part of the range of economic and political sanctions that AJC firmly supports, will demonstrate to Iran the unsustainably high cost of its nuclear program," Harris wrote.

The full text of the AJC letter to Secretary Panetta follows:

December 7, 2011

The Honorable Leon E. Panetta
Secretary of Defense
Washington, DC

Dear Secretary Panetta:

I write on behalf of AJC, the nation's global Jewish advocacy organization, to urge the Administration's support for the Menendez-Kirk Iran Sanctions Amendment (#1414), a bipartisan measure sponsored by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), in the form in which it was passed by the Senate last week as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (S.1867).

As you know so well, Iran's rogue regime continues to defy repeated UN Security Council resolutions on its nuclear program, and moves closer every day to achieving weapons capability—with profoundly destabilizing consequences in a vital and volatile region. In the face of the regime's continued recalcitrance, it is critical that there be an ongoing enhancement of sanctions—and that these sanctions exert maximum pressure, consistent with U.S. policy. It is only through such measures that there is any chance of moving Iran from its present course.

The Menendez-Kirk Iran Sanctions Amendment would restrict U.S. financial institutions from doing business with any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts significant financial transactions with Iran's Central Bank, a critical conduit of international financial support for the regime. Iran derives 80 percent of its hard currency from its ability to sell its crude oil, which is dependent on transactions through the Central Bank. The amendment also freezes any Iranian assets in the United States, and requires the president to start a "multilateral diplomacy initiative" to convince other countries to cease oil imports from Iran.

We are aware of reports that the Administration is seeking to modify the Menendez-Kirk amendment so as to delay implementation of sanctions not related to oil purchases from 60 to 180 days, and in other ways to reduce the severity of the sanctions if and when they are put into effect. We are immensely appreciative of the Administration's efforts to thwart Iran's drive for nuclear weapons capability. It is against this background that we strongly urge reconsideration of any efforts by the Administration to dilute this amendment.

The Menendez-Kirk Amendment is intended to send a strong message to the Iranian regime: If it continues to violate treaty obligations and defy repeated UN Security Council sanctions in its pursuit of nuclear weapons capability, its access to sensitive technologies, its economic horizons, and its interactions with global business will be sharply restricted. We hope that this initiative, as part of the range of economic and political sanctions that AJC firmly supports, will demonstrate to Iran the unsustainably high cost of its nuclear program.

The urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat, and the severe consequences of failing to end it, provide compelling reasons for the Administration and Congress to join together in intensifying the existing sanctions regime, including support for, and—ultimately—vigorous implementation of, the Menendez-Kirk Amendment.

AJC thanks you for considering our views on this critical matter.

Respectfully,
David Harris

SOURCE American Jewish Committee