[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 717 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 717
Calling on the Biden Administration to pursue censure of Iran at the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), refer the issue to the
United Nations Security Council, and reaffirm that all measures will be
taken to prevent the regime in Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 3, 2024
Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cassidy, Mr.
Graham, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Scott of Florida, Ms.
Lummis, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Budd, and Mr. Ricketts) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Biden Administration to pursue censure of Iran at the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), refer the issue to the
United Nations Security Council, and reaffirm that all measures will be
taken to prevent the regime in Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Whereas the Government of Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism,
supporting proxies that undermine peace in the Middle East, seek the
destruction of the State of Israel, target United States Armed Forces in
the region, and threaten the freedom of navigation, including in the Red
Sea;
Whereas Iran's nuclear activities, including its enrichment of near weapons-
grade uranium and installation of advanced centrifuges, and expanding
missile and drone program pose a significant threat to international
security;
Whereas the Government of Iran has amassed large stockpiles of enriched uranium,
including uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, and has developed
advanced centrifuge technology, significantly reducing the time required
to produce weapons-grade uranium;
Whereas, according to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), Iran's nuclear enrichment activities have accelerated to
the point where the regime can now produce enough weapons-grade uranium
for multiple nuclear weapons within days;
Whereas missiles developed through the regime's expanding missile program,
including the development of long-range ballistic missiles, could serve
as delivery vehicles for nuclear weapons, thereby increasing the threat
posed by the nuclear capabilities of the regime;
Whereas the Government of Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would have
catastrophic consequences for regional and global security and undermine
the integrity of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
done at Washington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968 (commonly referred
to as the ``Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty'' or the ``NPT'') ;
Whereas the Government of Iran ratified the NPT in 1970 and continues to be a
state party to the treaty;
Whereas Article III of the NPT states, ``Each Non-nuclear-weapon State Party to
the Treaty undertakes to accept safeguards, as set forth in an agreement
to be negotiated and concluded with the International Atomic Energy
Agency.'';
Whereas the IAEA has repeatedly reported on the non-compliance of the Government
of Iran with its NPT-required safeguards agreement, including the
discovery of undeclared nuclear materials and activities at various
sites and a recent violation of modified code 3.1 by beginning
construction of a new reactor known as IR-360;
Whereas the regime in Iran has barred IAEA inspectors from fully monitoring its
nuclear activities and continues to refuse to cooperate with
investigations into its undeclared nuclear materials and activities; and
Whereas the United States has a responsibility to use its voice and vote at
international fora to advance global efforts to hold the Government of
Iran accountable for its violations of international non-proliferation
agreements including the NPT; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms that the United States Government will take
all necessary measures to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear
weapons;
(2) calls on the Biden Administration to pursue a
resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Board of Governors, formally censuring the Government of Iran
for its noncompliance with its Comprehensive Safeguard
Agreement as required by the NPT, and to refer the issue to the
United Nations Security Council;
(3) urges the Biden Administration to work with partners
and allies of the United States to pursue punitive actions in
response to violations by the Government of Iran, including but
not limited to working with the coalition of France, the United
Kingdom, and Germany (known as the ``E3'') to prevent nuclear
related restrictions under United Nations Security Council
Resolution 2231 (2015) from lapsing, to re-impose sanctions
that remain lifted by such resolution, and other measures to
enforce compliance with non-proliferation obligations;
(4) condemns Iran's continued obstruction of basic
monitoring and verification activities by the IAEA, as well as
its refusal to provide technically credible explanations for
the presence of undeclared nuclear materials and activities at
sites across Iran;
(5) acknowledges the critical role of the IAEA in
monitoring and verifying nuclear non-proliferation and calls
for continued support for the IAEA to ensure robust oversight
of Iran's nuclear activities;
(6) acknowledges the important foundation the NPT provides
for the global non-proliferation regime and that any effort to
normalize violations of the NPT by the Government of Iran will
only serve to further erode global non-proliferation standards;
(7) supports the imposition of robust sanctions on the
Government of Iran for it nuclear and missile programs and on
entities and individuals involved in these programs to deter
further proliferation efforts; and
(8) emphasizes the need for a coordinated international
response to address the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program
and calls on all nations to join the United States in taking
decisive action to ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons
and to uphold nuclear non-proliferation standards in the Middle
East and beyond.
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