WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement on the revelations concerning Iran's secret nuclear fuel manufacturing site:
"Today’s news is alarming, but not surprising. Unfortunately this behavior is nothing new from a regime that continues to lie about its nuclear program and get caught.
"On October 1st, the P5+1 will meet with Iranian officials and this should be at the top of the agenda. This is an important opportunity for the international community to close ranks and present a united front on this issue. I hope that this news will encourage the Chinese and Russians to join the rest of the international community in denouncing Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
"While I support the Administration’s efforts to dialogue with the Iranians, time is running out on this regime. In the Senate, I am working to give the President all the tools he needs to pressure this regime to stop its nuclear weapons program. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will move quickly to pass these divestment and sanctions measures in short order."
Senator Casey and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) have introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act which would authorize the divestment of public pension money from companies doing business in Iran’s oil and natural gas sector.
Senator Casey is a cosponsor of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act which explicitly empowers the president to impose new economic sanctions on foreign firms involved in the export of gasoline and other refined petroleum products to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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