Use carrot and stick strategy to deal with Iran
As a 24 year retired Navy commander and as a member of Congress on the House Armed Services Committee, I have had the unique privilege to participate in the defense of our nation and to now contribute to the National Defense Strategy.
During my deployments in the Navy and in NATO, I witnessed an increased focus on the Middle East and today our defense efforts are focused almost entirely on this region.
As we wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must not lose focus on the threat that Iran poses and in the coming weeks Congress may act to enact unprecedented sanctions against the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In August when I met with the Democrat and Chronicle’s Editorial Board, I told them that Congress would be considering increased sanctions against the Iranian government if Iran continued to defy the will of the international community by pursuing nuclear weapons.
Following the discovery of a secret nuclear facility and Iranian missile tests during the recent UN General Assembly, Iran has made its intentions crystal clear. Despite repeated statements of no wrong doing from the Iranian government, deceptive actions speak louder than words and we simply cannot believe Mr. Ahmadinejad when he denies Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
In the coming weeks, Congress may be working to impose new sanctions on Iran with significantly more impact than previous attempts. The bill by which we would attempt to do this is H.R. 2194, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009, which now has 323 co-sponsors.
While Iran is a major source of oil, it lacks the ability to refine it into gasoline. As a result of this deficiency, Iran is forced to export its own oil and then re-import gasoline from nations such as Russia. Congress is proposing a sanction to close our markets to any nation which exports gasoline to Iran. In essence, the United States would tell those nations that enable Iran’s leadership to continue pursuing this failed agenda of nuclear proliferation that we will not financially deal with them.
If we are really going to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, we need to take significant and drastic steps to limit its ability to develop these weapons. However, when imposing sanctions on foreign nations, it’s important to give them the opportunity to make the right decision. This method would give the leadership of Iran the opportunity to allow open inspections of their nuclear facilities, or face severe consequences on their economy - the choice is theirs.
Our foreign policy cannot be one that backs our opponents into a corner without offering a path to solution. However when we threaten sanctions, we must be resolute. This course of action would put the ball squarely in Mr. Ahmadinejad’s court.
I believe this may be the best path forward as we seek to gain stability in the region and prevent the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons to threaten our allies and friends.
Massa represents the 29th Congressional District which includes parts of eastern Monroe County.
