Pete Stark: “I rise to oppose the march to war with Iran. I am as concerned as the authors and supporters of this bill about Iran's…”

“I rise to oppose the march to war with Iran. I am as concerned as the authors and supporters of this bill about Iran's nuclear weapons program. But I do not believe that levying additional sanctions and encouraging regime change is the correct course. Instead, we should work with our allies to negotiate a diplomatic solution. The ``Iran Freedom Support Act'', H.R. 6198, will antagonize Iran's government. Provisions calling for democracy promotion and ``the exercise of self-determination'' will be interpreted as a direct assault on Iran's sovereignty and may prompt Iran to discontinue ongoing negotiations. Unilateral sanctions may also discourage France, Germany, Italy, and Spain from working to broker an international agreement. Our allies do not appreciate it when we ``go it alone.'' Dissidents will also be hurt by our offer of financial and political assistance. As in Iraq, individuals and groups that ally with America will see their integrity questioned and their reputations for independence undermined. Iranian families will be hurt by sanctions that prohibit foreign investment in the country's petroleum industries. Sanctions already in place have not impacted Iran's behavior. Why would new prohibitions on investment succeed where old sanctions have failed? Finally, the American people will be less secure. Antagonizing Iran will not stop or even slow nuclear weapons development.”