U.S. Sen. Gary Peters: Iran provides weapons and troops that fuel conflicts

Senator Gary Peters , Member, Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee and Armed Services in OIAC Senate Nowruz Event Iran March 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nexstar Broadcasting, 17 Jun 2017 – U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke on the Senate floor Friday on his vote in support of the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act, legislation he cosponsored that would impose sanctions that target Iran’s ballistic missile program and levy terrorism-related sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The bill also expands sanctions on Russia in response to its intrusion into Ukraine, its support of the Syrian regime, and interfering in the 2016 U.S. election. 
  
 
Below are part of Sen. Gary Peters remarks as prepared for delivery: 
“I am proud to support the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act. This is important legislation that I was proud to cosponsor.
 
“It will require sanctions on those supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program and imposes terrorism-related sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC.
 
“For too long, Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism and their repeated ballistic missile tests – in defiance of a UN Security Council Resolution – have destabilized the Middle East and threatened Israel, our strongest ally in the region.
 
“This destabilization also contributes to the ongoing violence causing widespread humanitarian suffering in Yemen.
 
“Iran provides weapons and troops that fuel conflicts and Iran’s military behaves unprofessionally, putting American troops at risk.
 
“I know the people of Iran want to play a productive role in the world and I believe that pressure provided by additional sanctions for destabilizing activity can improve the behavior of the Iranian regime.
 
“This legislation has also provided a vehicle to address another nation’s leadership whose actions have warranted international condemnation, Russia. This bill includes an amendment that I supported to enhance sanctions on Russia.