RL32048
Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses
September 04, 2008
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Summary
The Bush Administration characterizes Iran as a "profound threat to U.S. national security interests," a perception generated primarily by Iran's nuclear program but that also takes into account Iran's military assistance to armed groups in Iraq, to the Palestinian group Hamas, and to Lebanese Hezbollah. The threat assessment of some other governments was lessened by the December 3, 2007 key judgements of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that indicates that Iran is not driving to develop an actual nuclear weapon, but Administration officials say that this finding was not the main thrust of the NIE, which judged Iran to be continuing uranium enrichment. The Bush Administration approach to contain the potential threat posed by Iran's nuclear program is to strengthen international economic pressure on Iran while also offering Iran potential cooperation should it comply with the international demands to suspend its enrichment of uranium. This led the Administration to approve the participation of a high-level State Department official at multilateral nuclear talks with Iran on July 19, 2008, although that meeting, and subsequent discussions, have not resulted in Iran's acceptance of the international offer of incentives. A new U.N. Security Council resolution is being considered, although without publicly evident result as of September 2008, possibly because of U.S.Russia tensions over Georgia. A previous three U.N. resolutions (1737, 1747, and 1803) impose sanctions that ban weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-related trade with Iran; freeze the assets of Iran's nuclear and related entities and personalities; prevent Iran from transferring arms outside Iran; ban or require reporting on international travel by named Iranians; call for inspections of some Iranian sea and airborne cargo shipments; and call for restrictions on dealings with some Iranian banks. Separate U.S. efforts to persuade European governments to curb trade, investment, and credits to Iran; and to convince foreign banks not to do business with Iran, are beginning to injure Iran's economy, by many accounts, and might be causing debate among Iranian leaders over how to respond to international demands. To strengthen its diplomacy, the Administration has maintained a substantial naval presence in the Persian Gulf, which U.S. commanders insist would prevent any Iranian attempts to close the crucial Strait of Hormuz for any extended period. The Administration strongly denies that it is planning to take military action against Iran, but has refused to rule it out if no other efforts to curb Iran's uranium enrichment program succeed. An alternate question is how the Administration would react to any Israeli attempt to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Others believe that only a change of Iran's regime would end the threat posed by Iran, although regime change is not currently a prominent feature of Administration policy toward Iran. Bills under consideration in the 110th Congress, including H.R. 1400, S. 970, S. 3227, H.Con.Res. 362, and S.Res. 580 would tighten of U.S. sanctions on Iran. For further information, see CRS Report RS20871, The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), and CRS Report RS22323, Iran's Activities and Influence in Iraq, both by Kenneth Katzman, and CRS Report RS21592, Iran's Nuclear Program: Recent Developments, by Sharon Squassoni. This report is updated regularly.
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Related Legislation:
- H.R.1400
- S.970
- S.3227
- S.362
- S.R.580
- S.2087
- S.2232
- S.2159
