Congress Considers Tougher Iran Sanctions

On the radar: Rumblings from the Hill; Logic of zero; Reading Alma-tea leaves; Cuts threaten cleanup; Rethinking deterrence; and Next steps with North Korea.

February 28, 2013 | Alyssa Demus

Mixed signals - U.S. lawmakers introduced new legislation imposing “very severe” pressure on Iran yesterday. If passed, The Nuclear Iran Prevention Act, “would build on existing laws that restrict business dealings with Iran, widen the list of blacklisted Iranian companies and individuals and potentially block Iran’s access to its foreign bank assets held in Euros,” reports Rick Gladstone in The New York Times.

--“If these things pass, they will certainly be a significant step toward a complete embargo,” said Trita Parsi, of the National Iranian American Council. The “Iranian leaders, always paranoid about American intentions, were likely to view the legislation ‘very carefully,” Parsi told Gladstone. Full story here. http://owl.li/i7ZQr

--“Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013.” Full text of the bill here. http://owl.li/i84rO

Senators strike - Senators Robert Menendez and Lindsey Graham plan to unveil a new joint resolution which calls for strengthened enforcement of sanctions and “an open-ended policy of U.S. support for any Israeli strike against Iran” including preventive strikes, reports Hayes Brown of Think Progress. http://owl.li/i8CGT

-- Full text of the Graham-Menendez resolution here. http://owl.li/i8CdA

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Mainstream - The President’s “vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, [is a] bipartisan platform [that] has been embraced by numerous former national security leaders from both parties. Perhaps the most vocal proponent of nuclear abolition was former President Ronald Reagan” writes Kingston Reif in Nukes of Hazard in response to an op-ed by Senators Bob Corker and Jim Inhofe published earlier this week. Reif offers a point-by-point rebuttal here. http://owl.li/i82jK

Interpreting Almaty - Iran and world powers have announced two additional rounds of talks. And, while exact details of the P5+1 proposal presented to Iran remain unknown, reports suggest that sanctions relief was included in the deal. Both of these developments may be small, but significant steps in resetting relations with Iran says Kelsey Davenport at Arms Control Now.

--According to Amb. Thomas Pickering, speaking at an event the day before, plans for a follow-on meeting could be counted as a small success towards resetting relations with Iran. The reported sanctions relief helps the Iranian economy and “carries important symbolic weight,” writes Davenport. http://owl.li/i88aR

P5+1 reflections - The P5+1 Iran talks concluded yesterday with an agreement by all parties to meet again. NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports on U.S., European, and Iranian reactions to negotiations outcomes. Listen here. http://owl.li/i8doi

Budgetary woes - Six tanks that contain radioactive waste could leak roughly 1,000 gallons of waste annually at the Hanford site in Washington state. With spending cuts set to take effect on Friday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee has expressed concerned that sequestration could affect the cleanup effort as “the money behind it is almost entirely federal,” reports Eric Johnson of Reuters. Full story here.http://owl.li/i85VU

Deterrence myths - ”Deterrence is usually proved by absence [...] I threaten you, telling you not to do something. Then when you don’t do it, I claim success. But the fact that there’s been no nuclear war doesn’t prove that we’ve got an ironclad method for preventing it,” writes Ward Wilson at Arms Control Wonk in his fourth installment refuting traditional arguments on nuclear deterrence. Full post here.http://owl.li/i8g27

Tweet - @TIME: Inside Obama's struggle to stop an Iranian nuclear program ti.me/13p6Vq0

After the test - North Korea’s recent nuclear test could have important implications - it may have advanced Pyongyang’s nuclear program; it could destabilize the region; “prompt counteractions by South Korea and Japan; and undermine the global nonproliferation system. As such, “the seriousness of this issue demands a full-court press by the international community,” says Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association.

--Proposed countermeasures - China should curtail aid to DPRK and “take stronger steps to implement existing UN sanctions;” while the U.S. needs to “renew efforts to reengage in serious negotiations” with North Korea, recommends Kimball. Full article here. http://owl.li/i8hDL

Events:

--”Briefing: What Comes Next for U.S.-Iran Diplomacy?” Steve Miller and Paolo Cotta Ramusino. February 28 10:00-11:00 a.m. Rayburn House Office Building, B-308. RSVP here. http://owl.li/i5Vgb

--Automatic budget cuts (sequester) go into effect tomorrow, March 1.

--”Understanding the Behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Mohsen Milani, Univ. of Southern Florida; Bijan Khajehpour, Atieh International. March 4 9:00-11:00 a.m. @ Carnegie Endowment. RSVP here. http://owl.li/i1F0C

--”Confronting the Bomb: Pakistani and Indian Scientists Speak Out.” Pervez Hoodbhoy, Zia Mian, and George Perkovich. March 5 9:00-10:30 a.m. @ Carnegie Endowment WDC. Register here. http://owl.li/hY13n

--”National Security and the DOD: 2025.” Rep. Adam Smith (WA) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (TX). March 6 3:00-4:00 p.m. @ Rayburn House Office Bldg. Sponsored by the American Security Project. RSVP here. http://owl.li/i7Wq9