Roy Blunt: “I am pleased to call up this amendment. This amendment extends what would now be a sunset on the Department of Defense…”

“I am pleased to call up this amendment. This amendment extends what would now be a sunset on the Department of Defense annual report on the military power of Iran and adds another 10 years to that annual reporting date. Currently, the law would end that annual report in December of 2016. This amendment would extend the reporting time until December 2026. I think this amendment sends a message to the American people that Congress understands the lengths that Iran's military is willing to go to promote instability around the world. Pentagon officials today reported that the United States is monitoring the seizure by Iran of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship which was reportedly moving through the Straits of Hormuz. Iranian patrol vessels fired warning shots across the bow of the boat. Just yesterday, it was reported by Politico that the commander of Iran's ground forces was of the opinion that America was behind the attacks on 9/11. We currently see Iran's deadly influence in a negative way into other countries, including Yemen, Iraq, and other countries. I think we need to continue to monitor the military strength and the military capacity of Iran. This annual Department of Defense assessment of Iran's increasingly destabilizing military is possibly more important even now than it was when these reports started. Every year, the Department of Defense provides Congress with a review of Iran's military.…”