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28–367PDF 2006

REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTING THE SECRETARY

OF STATE TO PROVIDE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

CERTAIN DOCUMENTS IN THEIR POSSESSION RELATING TO

STRATEGIES AND PLANS EITHER DESIGNED TO CAUSE REGIME CHANGE IN OR FOR THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE

AGAINST IRAN

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H. Res. 846

JUNE 21, 2006

Serial No. 109–214

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman 

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, 

Vice Chairman 

DAN BURTON, Indiana 

ELTON GALLEGLY, California 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California 

PETER T. KING, New York 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado 

RON PAUL, Texas 

DARRELL ISSA, California 

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona 

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia 

MARK GREEN, Wisconsin 

JERRY WELLER, Illinois 

MIKE PENCE, Indiana 

THADDEUS G. MCCOTTER, Michigan 

KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas 

J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina 

CONNIE MACK, Florida 

JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska 

MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

TOM LANTOS, California 

HOWARD L. BERMAN, California 

GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

SHERROD BROWN, Ohio 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

BARBARA LEE, California 

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York 

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon 

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada 

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California 

ADAM B. SCHIFF, California 

DIANE E. WATSON, California 

ADAM SMITH, Washington 

BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota 

BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky 

DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California 

RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri 

THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel 

ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director 

DANIEL FREEMAN, Counsel/Parliamentarian 

JEAN CARROLL, Full Committee Hearing Coordinator 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP OF 

H. Res. 846, Requesting the President and directing the Secretary of State 

to provide to the House of Representatives certain documents in their 

possession relating to strategies and plans either designed to cause regime 

change in or for the use of military force against Iran ..................................... 2

APPENDIX 

The Honorable Sherrod Brown, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Ohio: Prepared statement ............................................................................... 7

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REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO PROVIDE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CERTAIN DOCUMENTS IN THEIR POSSESSION RELATING TO STRATEGIES AND PLANS EITHER DESIGNED TO CAUSE REGIME CHANGE IN OR FOR THE USE 

OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAN 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2006

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:45 a.m., in room 

2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Henry J. Hyde (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. 

Chairman HYDE. The Committee will come to order. 

Under the bipartisan agreement, debate on H. Res. 846 will be 

limited to 20 minutes equally divided, with Mr. Lantos and Ms. Lee 

being recognized. 

Accordingly, pursuant to notice, I call up H. Res. 846, requesting 

the President and directing the Secretary of State to provide to the 

House certain documents concerning Iran for purposes of markup, 

and move its adverse recommendation to the House. 

Without objection, the resolution will be considered as read. All 

Members are given leave to insert their remarks in the record, and 

the Chair recognizes Mr. Lantos. 

[H. Res. 846 follows:]

2

1

IV

109TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 846

Requesting the President and directing the Secretary of State to provide

to the House of Representatives certain documents in their possession

relating to strategies and plans either designed to cause regime change

in or for the use of military force against Iran.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 25, 2006

Ms. LEE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Requesting the President and directing the Secretary of State

to provide to the House of Representatives certain documents in their possession relating to strategies and plans

either designed to cause regime change in or for the

use of military force against Iran.

1 Resolved, That the President is requested and the

2 Secretary of State is directed to provide to the House of

3 Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of

4 the adoption of this resolution, all documents, including

5 planning documents, electronic mail records, minutes,

6 memoranda, and advisory legal opinions, in the possession

7 of the President or the Secretary of State, respectively,


28367a.AAB
3

2

•HRES 846 IH

1 relating to strategies, and plans either designed to cause

2 regime change in or for the use of military force against

3 Iran.

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28367a.AAC
4

Mr. LANTOS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased 

again that we were able to reach a bipartisan resolution over a 

complex issue. I commend my good friend, Congresswoman Lee, for 

raising an important matter and particularly for her determination 

in trying to get to the bottom of an important policy decision: How 

to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. 

As we all know, this issue is currently in a very delicate phase 

of diplomacy. On May 31, Secretary Rice announced the bold initiative which offered the Iranians an opportunity for direct engagement with the United States regarding the nuclear issue. 

It is my earnest hope that the Iranians will be wise enough to 

accept the package of incentives that the UN Permanent Five—the 

United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom, 

plus Germany—have offered. 

I know, Mr. Chairman, that every single one of us on this Committee wants to see the crisis resolved diplomatically and peacefully. I am convinced that we should give diplomacy every possibility of success. Should the diplomatic effort falter, it will behoove 

us to revisit this issue and again to consider a resolution of inquiry. 

I yield the balance of our time to Ms. Lee. 

Ms. LEE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me thank you and our 

Ranking Member, Mr. Lantos, for allowing the debate to occur on 

this resolution. I think it is a very important resolution, and I appreciate the bipartisan agreement that we have reached with regard to this. 

This resolution simply requests the President to provide all information, including documents, e-mails, minutes, memos and advisory legal opinions, relating to strategies, options and plans designed to cause regime change in Iran or for the use of military 

force against Iran. 

At the outset, Mr. Chairman, let me just set the record straight. 

As a long-time advocate for nuclear nonproliferation, I am deeply 

concerned about the threat which a nuclear Iran poses, not only to 

the Middle East but also to the world. Iran must be held accountable to international standards. 

However, Mr. Chairman, even as the war in Iraq continues, 

along with a number of my colleagues, constituents, and Americans 

across the country, I remain very concerned that this Administration may be taking steps to prepare for a preemptive military 

strike against Iran. 

The May 31st announcement that the Bush Administration will 

join with the EU Three, China and Russia, in negotiations with 

Iran is a significant development. It is a step in the right direction. 

But as Jessica Mathews, President of the nonpartisan Carnegie 

Endowment, has observed, she said, ‘‘Joining in the negotiations 

and focusing on nonproliferation over regime change is really very 

crucial to this process and to a positive outcome of this process. A 

policy of regime change must be off of the table if diplomatic negotiations are to succeed.’’

At the same time, the Administration’s participation in negotiations must not end our vigilance. Frankly, we should all be concerned about the statements and the actions that the Administration is making given our experience in the lead-up to the war in 

Iraq. 

5

The parallels are very similar, actually quite scary to some. Recent reports of the increase in reconnaissance, special operations in 

Iran, and the enlistment of Iranian dissidents and opposition 

groups all remarkably mirror the march to a preemptive war in 

Iraq in 2003. 

Let me just briefly give you a few examples. Much like the incursions in July 2002 with Predator drones into Iraq, there have been 

reports of Predator drones in Iran beginning in the spring of 2005. 

According to retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner, there have 

been reports of special operations like that of Operation Southern 

Focus which reportedly struck 400 targets in Iraq beginning in 

2002. Similarly, there have been reports of special operations with 

Azeri, Kurdish and MEK support beginning last summer. 

All of this is without congressional authorization, and I assume 

and presumably without congressional oversight. On the home 

front, similar to what is taking place here in the United States 

with regard to the concerns, the White House Iraq Group, which 

was formed with the express purpose of marketing the war in Iraq 

to Americans, there have been reports, and again reports, of the 

Iraq-Syria Operations Group being formed, very close parallels to 

the White House Iraq Group. 

I am asking, for what purpose? So this resolution of inquiry 

would help really provide these answers. 

Finally and most disturbingly, the President’s National Security 

Strategy released in March of last year restates, mind you, it restates this Administration’s commitment to wage preemptive war. 

So, Mr. Chairman, recent events on the diplomatic front, while 

encouraging, must not dull us into complacency and lead us to 

shirk away from our constitutional obligation; that is, the duty to 

conduct oversight. 

It is very important for us as Members of Congress, especially 

those of us on this Committee, to ensure that every diplomatic option is employed to disarm Iran. Diplomacy is not simply a 

checkbox that we mark off on the way to war. 

So I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I believe we 

must get the facts and the truth. I yield the balance of my time. 

Once again, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Lantos, 

for this debate. 

Chairman HYDE. Thank you, Ms. Lee. The question occurs on the 

motion to report the resolution, H. Res. 846, adversely. All in favor 

say aye. Opposed no. 

The ayes have it. The motion to report adversely is adopted. 

The Chair recognizes Mr. Smith. 

Mr. SMITH. Mr. Chairman, I demand the appropriate number of 

days in order to file the views on the measure, H. Res. 846. 

Chairman HYDE. So ordered. And the Committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 9:55 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

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A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE SHERROD BROWN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OHIO

Since 1979, the United States has not had diplomatic relations with Iran. But in 

the last few weeks, the Bush administration has entered into multilateral negotiations with Iran. 

The negotiations include a package of economic and political benefits if Iran ends 

its uranium activities and a threat of sanctions if it does not. 

Diplomatic efforts involving Iran, the United States, the European Union, Russia, 

China, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the United Nations Security 

Council are ongoing. 

These multinational talks on Iran’s nuclear enrichment are a step in the right direction. Smart and tough diplomacy has a real chance of producing a positive resolution of this problem. 

It is in our long-term interests to enhance regional security and encourage greater 

political, social, and economic freedom in Iran. Any policies that detract from these 

goals would be harmful to America’s interest. 

According to the most definitive U.S. intelligence report, Iran is likely a decade 

away from developing a nuclear weapon. They may pose a real threat at some point 

in the future—but the threat is not imminent. 

Today’s resolution asks the President and the Secretary of State to provide the 

House their plans regarding the use of military force against Iran. 

News reports indicate that the Bush administration may be planning to initiate 

military action against Iran. 

The President cannot engage U.S. forces in military action without any prior authorization from Congress, unless it is to repel sudden attacks and immediate 

threats. He does not have the power to unilaterally launch, without congressional 

approval, large-scale preventive military actions against foreign threats. 

Asking the President to submit any plans regarding Iran is a basic component of 

Constitutional congressional oversight. 

It appears that we have the time to pursue a peaceful solution. If the Administration has credible intelligence indicating that the threat is imminent, the Administration should share that information—in classified form as appropriate—with Congress. 

An open and inclusive process on Iran would be a good step toward restoring the 

credibility damaged by the Administration’s handling of weapons of mass destruction intelligence leading to the 2003 Iraq invasion. 

We should continue to put international pressure on Iran—and be ready to use 

military action as a last resort.

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