| Rep. Franks Brings Military Option to the Table |
| Written by Matt Sugrue | |
| Wednesday, 28 October 2009 | |
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Washington DC - Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) has introduced legislation emphasizing the threat of military strikes against Iran and expanding unilateral, extraterritorial sanctions against Iran. The bill declares “the United States is wholly capable, willing, and ready to use military force to prevent Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapons capability.” Franks’ bill, the “Peace Through Strength Act of 2009” (PTSA), also requires the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the status of Iran’s weapons and nuclear programs, an outline of “military options toward the Government of Iran to counter a nuclear ballistic missile threat,” and the readiness level of US forces to carry those military options. The legislation mandates that the United States not “compromise elements of national missile defense systems, or offensive strategic weapons” in order to facilitate greater diplomatic pressure on Iran by Russia, though these provisions are not enforceable. It also requires the U.S. government to “employ all instruments of national power” in its efforts to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. To that end, the PTSA incorporates language from the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009 (IRPSA). Thus far, the legislation has not collected any co-sponsors, and is likely to be outshone by other measures such as IRPSA which are being given greater attention from lawmakers. IRPSA is set to be considered by the Foreign Affairs Committee today. |
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