Dick Lugar: “on September 15 I introduced a bill to amend the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, Public Law 106-178. The bill, S.…”

“on September 15 I introduced a bill to amend the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, Public Law 106-178. The bill, S. 1713, provides authority for the administration to continue to cooperate with the Russian Federation on the International Space Station. Current law prohibits certain payments from being made to Russia. When Congress enacted the Iran Nonproliferation Act, INPA, it did so to provide the President with a means to address proliferation of ballistic missile-related and other dangerous dual-use technology to Iran. Congress passed and the President signed legislation designed to give the executive branch additional tools with which to address Russian proliferation and the proliferation of other countries that are transferring dangerous weapons technology to Iran. The legislation was also meant to enhance significantly the ability of Congress to monitor proliferation to Iran and oversee executive efforts to combat it. With regard to Russia, at the time of its enactment, the rationale for INPA restrictions on payments to Russia for cooperation on the International Space Station was that the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, RASA, could use any legal or operational authority it may have had over certain organizations and entities that might be proliferating to Iran to stop such activities. I continue to believe that Russia must prevent proliferation to Iran of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and the technical know-how to make them.…”