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[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H6079-H6083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

         COUNTERING IRAN IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE ACT OF 2012

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 3783) to provide for a comprehensive strategy to counter 
Iran's growing presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3783

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Countering Iran in the 
     Western Hemisphere Act of 2012''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The United States has vital political, economic, and 
     security interests in the Western Hemisphere.
       (2) Iran is pursuing cooperation with Latin American 
     countries by signing economic and security agreements in 
     order to create a network of diplomatic and economic 
     relationships to lessen the blow of international sanctions 
     and oppose Western attempts to constrict its ambitions.
       (3) According to the Department of State, Hezbollah, with 
     Iran as its state sponsor, is considered the ``most 
     technically capable terrorist group in the world'' with 
     ``thousands of supporters, several thousand members, and a 
     few hundred terrorist operatives,'' and officials from the 
     Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force 
     have been working in concert with Hezbollah for many years.
       (4) The IRGC's Qods Force has a long history of supporting 
     Hezbollah's military, paramilitary, and terrorist activities, 
     providing it with guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, 
     and logistical support, and in 2007, the Department of the 
     Treasury placed sanctions on the IRGC and its Qods Force for 
     their support of terrorism and proliferation activities.
       (5) The IRGC's Qods Force stations operatives in foreign 
     embassies, charities, and religious and cultural institutions 
     to foster relationships, often building on existing 
     socioeconomic ties with the well established Shia Diaspora, 
     and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in 
     Latin America.
       (6) According to the Department of Defense, the IRGC and 
     its Qods Force played a significant role in some of the 
     deadliest terrorist attacks of the past two decades, 
     including the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center 
     in Buenos Aires, by generally directing or supporting the 
     groups that actually executed the attacks.
       (7) Reports of Iranian intelligence agents being implicated 
     in Hezbollah-linked activities since the early 1990s suggest 
     direct Iranian government support of Hezbollah activities in 
     the Tri-Border Area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and 
     in the past decade, Iran has dramatically increased its 
     diplomatic missions to Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, 
     Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil. Iran has built 17 cultural 
     centers in Latin America, and it currently maintains 11 
     embassies, up from 6 in 2005.
       (8) Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies with a presence in 
     Latin America have raised revenues through illicit 
     activities, including drug and arms trafficking, 
     counterfeiting, money laundering, forging travel documents, 
     pirating software and music, and providing haven and 
     assistance to other terrorists transiting the region.
       (9) Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela 
     expressed their intention to assist Iran in evading sanctions 
     by signing a statement supporting Iran's nuclear activities 
     and announcing at a 2010 joint press conference in Tehran 
     their determination to ``continue and expand their economic 
     ties to Iran'' with confidence that ``Iran can give a 
     crushing response to the threats and sanctions imposed by the 
     West and imperialism''.
       (10) The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration concluded in 
     2008 that almost one-half of the foreign terrorist 
     organizations in the world are linked to narcotics trade and 
     trafficking, including Hezbollah and Hamas.
       (11) In October 2011, the United States charged two men, 
     Manssor Arbabsiar, a United States citizen holding both 
     Iranian and United States passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an 
     Iran-based member of Iran's IRGC Qods Force, with conspiracy 
     to murder a foreign official using explosives in an act of 
     terrorism. Arbabsiar traveled to Mexico with the express 
     intent to hire ``someone in the narcotics business'' to carry 
     out the assassination of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in the 
     United States. While in the end, he only engaged a U.S. Drug 
     Enforcement Agency informant posing as an associate of a drug 
     trafficking cartel, Arbabsiar believed that he was working 
     with a member of a Mexican drug trafficking organization and 
     sought to send money to this individual in installments and 
     not in a single transfer.
       (12) In February 2011, actions by the Department of the 
     Treasury effectively shut down the Lebanese Canadian Bank. 
     Subsequent actions by the United States Government in 
     connection with the investigation into Lebanese Canadian Bank 
     resulted in the indictment in December 2011 of Ayman Joumaa, 
     an individual of Lebanese nationality, with citizenship in 
     Lebanon and Colombia, and with ties to Hezbollah, for 
     trafficking cocaine to the Los Zetas drug trafficking 
     organization in Mexico City for sale in the United States and 
     for laundering the proceeds.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

        It shall be the policy of the United States to use a 
     comprehensive government-wide strategy to counter Iran's 
     growing hostile presence and activity in the Western 
     Hemisphere by working together with United States allies and 
     partners in the region to mutually deter threats to United 
     States interests by the Government of Iran, the Iranian 
     Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the IRGC's Qods 
     Force, and Hezbollah.

     SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Western hemisphere.--The term ``Western Hemisphere'' 
     means the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South 
     America, and Central America.
       (2) Relevant congressional committees.--The term ``relevant 
     congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate.

     SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT OF A STRATEGY TO ADDRESS IRAN'S GROWING 
                   HOSTILE PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY IN THE WESTERN 
                   HEMISPHERE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     conduct an assessment of the threats posed to the United 
     States by Iran's growing presence and activity in the Western 
     Hemisphere and submit to the relevant congressional 
     committees the results of the assessment and a strategy to 
     address Iran's growing hostile presence and activity in the 
     Western Hemisphere.
       (b) Matters To Be Included.--The strategy described in 
     subsection (a) should include--
       (1) a description of the presence, activities, and 
     operations of Iran, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
     Corps (IRGC), its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist 
     organizations linked to Iran that may be present in the 
     Western Hemisphere, including information about their 
     leaders, objectives, and areas of influence and information 
     on their financial networks, trafficking activities, and safe 
     havens;
       (2) a description of the terrain, population, ports, 
     foreign firms, airports, borders, media outlets, financial 
     centers, foreign embassies, charities, religious and cultural 
     centers, and income-generating activities in the Western 
     Hemisphere utilized by Iran, the IRGC, its Qods Force, 
     Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations linked to Iran 
     that may be present in the Western Hemisphere;
       (3) a description of the relationship of Iran, the IRGC, 
     its Qods Force, and Hezbollah with transnational criminal 
     organizations linked to Iran and other terrorist 
     organizations in

[[Page H6080]]

     the Western Hemisphere, including information on financial 
     networks and trafficking activities;
       (4) a description of the relationship of Iran, the IRGC, 
     its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations 
     linked to Iran that may be present in the Western Hemisphere 
     with the governments in the Western Hemisphere, including 
     military-to-military relations and diplomatic, economic, and 
     security partnerships and agreements;
       (5) a description of the Federal law enforcement 
     capabilities, military forces, State and local government 
     institutions, and other critical elements, such as 
     nongovernmental organizations, in the Western Hemisphere that 
     may organize to counter the threat posed by Iran, the IRGC, 
     its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations 
     linked to Iran that may be present in the Western Hemisphere;
       (6) a description of activity by Iran, the IRGC, its Qods 
     Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations linked to 
     Iran that may be present at the United States borders with 
     Mexico and Canada and at other international borders within 
     the Western Hemisphere, including operations related to drug, 
     human, and arms trafficking, human support networks, 
     financial support, narco-tunneling, and technological 
     advancements that incorporates--
       (A) with respect to the United States borders, in 
     coordination with the Governments of Mexico and Canada and 
     the Secretary of Homeland Security, a plan to address 
     resources, technology, and infrastructure to create a secure 
     United States border and strengthen the ability of the United 
     States and its allies to prevent operatives from Iran, the 
     IRGC, its Qods Force, Hezbollah, or any other terrorist 
     organization from entering the United States; and
       (B) within Latin American countries, a multiagency action 
     plan, in coordination with United States allies and partners 
     in the region, that includes the development of strong rule-
     of-law institutions to provide security in such countries and 
     a counterterrorism and counter-radicalization plan to isolate 
     Iran, the IRGC, its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other 
     terrorist organizations linked to Iran that may be present in 
     the Western Hemisphere from their sources of financial 
     support and counter their facilitation of terrorist activity; 
     and
       (7) a plan--
       (A) to address any efforts by foreign persons, entities, 
     and governments in the region to assist Iran in evading 
     United States and international sanctions;
       (B) to protect United States interests and assets in the 
     Western Hemisphere, including embassies, consulates, 
     businesses, energy pipelines, and cultural organizations, 
     including threats to United States allies;
       (C) to support United States efforts to designate persons 
     and entities in the Western Hemisphere for proliferation 
     activities and terrorist activities relating to Iran, 
     including affiliates of the IRGC, its Qods Force, and 
     Hezbollah, under applicable law including the International 
     Emergency Economic Powers Act; and
       (D) to address the vital national security interests of the 
     United States in ensuring energy supplies from the Western 
     Hemisphere that are free from the influence of any foreign 
     government that would attempt to manipulate or disrupt global 
     energy markets.
       (c) Development.--In developing the strategy under this 
     section, the Secretary of State shall consult with the heads 
     of all appropriate United States departments and agencies, 
     including the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National 
     Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
     Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the 
     United States Trade Representative.
       (d) Form.--The strategy under this section shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified 
     annex if necessary.

     SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State 
     should keep the relevant congressional committees continually 
     informed on the hostile actions of Iran in the Western 
     Hemisphere.

     SEC. 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

        Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the rights 
     or protections enjoyed by United States citizens under the 
     United States Constitution or other Federal law, or to create 
     additional authorities for the Federal Government that are 
     contrary to the United States Constitution and United States 
     law.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.

                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 3783, the 
Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012, a bill 
introduced by my good friend, Mr. Duncan, an esteemed member of our 
Foreign Affairs Committee. I would like to thank him for his hard work 
on the issues addressed in this important bill.
  In February, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing entitled 
``Ahmadinejad's Tour of Tyrants and Iran's Agenda in the Western 
Hemisphere'' in order to examine the threat to U.S. national security 
posed by Iran and Iranian-sponsored activities in the Western 
Hemisphere. One month later, this bipartisan measure was unanimously 
adopted by our Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  Mr. Speaker, as we have witnessed in the last few weeks, the violence 
perpetrated by extremists in the Middle East against our embassies and 
our consulates undermines our foreign policy objectives, and we must 
prevent these vicious attacks from occurring in our region.
  Let us not forget that 18 years ago, Iranian so-called diplomats 
readily partnered with Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist 
organization, to carry out a deadly attack against the AMIA Jewish 
Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Iran has only increased 
its subversive action since then, and over the past decade the regime 
has increased diplomatic and economic ties between Iran and the radical 
regimes in Latin America.
  Iran's Ahmadinejad made two trips to Latin America this year to visit 
his fellow tyrants: the Castro brothers in Cuba, Ortega in Nicaragua, 
Correa in Ecuador, Chavez in Venezuela, and Morales in Bolivia.
  In an attempt to promote its extremist propaganda, the Iranian regime 
recently launched a Spanish television network to reach a larger 
international audience centered in the Western Hemisphere. More 
embassies and cultural centers have opened in Bolivia, Ecuador, 
Nicaragua, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay, in addition to its existing 
diplomatic missions in Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela.
  According to a U.S. intelligence analyst, these diplomatic missions 
are simply fronts for Iran to carry out its nefarious activities in the 
region and a potential platform to increase the presence of the Qods 
Force operatives, a designated foreign terrorist organization and an 
arm of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran.

                              {time}  1450

  According to media reports, Hezbollah, which is Iran's proxy, has 
established a training base in Nicaragua. It is also concerning that 
the Ortega regime in Nicaragua does not require any visas for Iranian 
officials to enter the country, which can then become the gateway to 
enter the United States through our southern border. Ten days ago, 
there were news reports stating that several alleged Hezbollah members 
were arrested in Mexico. Iran has worked tirelessly to promote its 
extremist ideologies and support efforts to undermine the democratic 
governments throughout the region.
  H.R. 3783 requires the Secretary of State to outline a U.S. 
Government-wide strategy to fight the aggressive actions of Iran and 
its proxies such as Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere toward a 
comprehensive policy stance that will protect U.S. security interests.
  This legislation calls for the administration to develop a plan to 
secure the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico and to prevent 
operatives from entering the United States. It also calls for a plan to 
isolate Iran and its proxies from their sources of financial support, 
and it addresses efforts by foreign persons, entities, and governments 
in the region that may be assisting Iran in evading sanctions.
  Lastly, it develops a plan to protect U.S. interests and assets in 
our Western Hemisphere, including embassies, consulates, businesses, 
and cultural organizations. We must ensure that the United States is 
actively monitoring this threat and that it takes appropriate steps to 
counter the Iranian regime's agenda in our hemisphere. I strongly 
support the passage of this legislation.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page H6081]]

  I rise in strong support of H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in the 
Western Hemisphere Act of 2012.
  I would like to thank the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Duncan, 
and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, 
for their leadership on this issue.
  This bill makes available $1 million of Andean counternarcotics 
funding for the State Department to generate an assessment of the 
challenge posed to our country by Iran's presence and hostile activity 
in the Western Hemisphere, as well as a strategy to address whatever 
threats we may face from the Iranian regime.
  Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, its continued 
support for international terrorism, and its abuse of basic human 
rights require the United States to maintain extreme vigilance in 
monitoring and countering its threats around the world. Though our goal 
has not yet been realized, thanks to the leadership of Congress and the 
Obama administration, more pressure has been placed on the Iranian 
regime than ever before. While Iran's behavior poses a clear and 
obvious danger to its own people, its neighbors, and to our ally 
Israel, its presence closer to our shores also deserves watchful 
attention.
  The Foreign Affairs Committee has heard significant testimony on this 
issue from both the administration and private sources. In my capacity 
of first as chairman and now as ranking member of the Western 
Hemisphere Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I think there 
is ample evidence that Iran is up to no good in the Western Hemisphere.
  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly and defiantly 
signaled to the U.S. in his six trips to our hemisphere that he is 
trolling for friends. Although it seems what Iran actually places on 
the table of the countries he visits is a stack of unmet promises, it 
is important that the U.S. Government remain vigilant and dig much 
deeper into the nature and effectiveness of these Iranian regime 
actions.
  None of this occurs in a vacuum. Iran was complicit in the horrific 
bombings of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and of the AMIA Jewish 
Community Center, also in Buenos Aires, which I have visited on 
numerous occasions. This happened in the first half of the 1990s, so it 
can easily be said that the first terrorist attacks on Latin American 
soil happened with Iran in control. We also have evidence of Iran's 
increasing willingness to conduct an attack on U.S. soil, such as the 
discovery this year of a twisted Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi 
Ambassador here in Washington.
  We must be alert to any Iranian attempts to circumvent sanctions and 
stand against efforts to curry favor with our neighbors to loosen those 
sanctions. We should continue to monitor intelligence links and watch 
the Iranian diplomatic corps, given its historical involvement in 
nefarious acts. We should keep a close eye on financial transactions; 
the chaotic nexus of drug money and terrorism in this region, in 
particular, deserves serious notice.
  Finally, it is important to express that my support for this 
legislation is not in any way an indication that the Obama 
administration has not taken this issue seriously. The President has 
himself stated that his administration will continue to monitor Iran's 
activities in the Western Hemisphere closely, and I have personally 
engaged enough administration officials to be persuaded that they 
understand the gravity of the situation and are giving it the attention 
it deserves.
  Still, we must be particularly vigilant toward the relationship 
between Iran and Venezuela, given the opacity of the ties between the 
regimes governing each country and the anti-American bombast of their 
leaders. However, there are some positive notes in our region. I would 
like to extend my appreciation to Brazil, the largest democracy in the 
hemisphere outside of the United States, which, under President 
Rousseff, has significantly cooled its relationship with Iran and has 
cast important votes in the U.N. Human Rights Council critical of the 
Iranian regime.
  Today's polarization and bluster in Washington on so many issues can 
have the effect of making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. 
We cannot let that happen here. The stakes are too high. So, with this 
legislation, we provide both a strong signal to the administration to 
continue to monitor this situation closely as well as the resources to 
look across U.S. agency efforts and enforcement capabilities to make 
sure they are in lockstep.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I proudly yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), a member of our House 
Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as a member of the Homeland 
Security and Natural Resources Committees. More importantly, he is the 
author of this bill today.
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for your 
leadership on this very important issue.
  I want to pause to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins) 
for his leadership on the other side of the aisle.
  Last week, Congress took a rare break from our work here and from 
partisanship. We came together to remember those who died on 9/11 and 
during the war on terrorism. We stood together on the Capitol steps, 
and we pledged that we would never forget the heartbreaking events of 
that fateful day. One of the ways we can honor the memory of those who 
lost their lives is to be prepared so that our country will never again 
experience such a tragedy.
  Mr. Speaker, that's why I'm standing before you today, thanking you 
and the Members of the body for putting partisanship aside and for 
working together to keep our families and our communities safe from new 
and emerging threats to our Nation.
  We are all aware of the Iranian nuclear threat in the Middle East and 
globally, but there is another potential threat from Iran and its 
proxies that is closer to home. That threat is an emerging Iranian-
backed terror network here in the Western Hemisphere. What we already 
know is very alarming.
  We know about last October's foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the 
Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. here on American soil.
  We know that Iran has vastly expanded its diplomatic and economic 
footprint in Latin America. For example, we know about the Department 
of Defense's 2012 Annual Report on Iran that stated:

       During the past three decades, Iran has methodically 
     cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates 
     capable of targeting U.S. and Israeli interests.

  Just this month, the Brazilian journal Veja and others reported on a 
police seizure in Bolivia of 2 tons of minerals believed initially to 
contain uranium but more likely tantalum, which is the mineral that is 
in demand for, among other things, nuclear reactors and missile parts.
  We know that 2 weeks ago an Israeli news organization revealed that 
Iran has established a Hezbollah terrorist training base in northern 
Nicaragua with operatives ``being trained at the base to attack Israeli 
and U.S. targets in the event of a raid on Iranian nuclear 
installations.''

                              {time}  1500

  And we know that just last week, press reports revealed that three 
suspected Hezbollah members were arrested just south of our border in 
Mexico.
  None of this should come as a surprise. Iran has publicly stated that 
increasing their presence and ties to Latin America is one of their top 
foreign policy objectives; however, we must have the capabilities to 
defend ourselves from potential Iranian attacks here on the homeland. 
We must be able to clearly identify this emerging threat and develop 
strategies which include working with our neighbors here in this 
hemisphere to prevent Iran from being a danger to our country here at 
home.
  Mr. Speaker, that's why this bill, H.R. 3783, establishes a strong 
U.S. posture, policy, and relationship with Latin American countries. 
It protects U.S. interests and assets in the Western Hemisphere, such 
as embassies, consulates, energy pipelines, and cultural organizations, 
including threats to U.S. allies. It addresses the vital national 
security interests of the United States by ensuring that energy 
supplies from the Western Hemisphere are

[[Page H6082]]

free from the influence of any foreign government that would attempt to 
manipulate or disrupt global energy markets.
  This bill requires a secure U.S. border with the U.S. working in 
coordination with the governments of Mexico and Canada to prevent 
Iranian operatives from entering the United States. This bill counters 
the efforts by foreign persons, entities, and governments in the region 
which may assist Iran in evading U.S. and international sanctions.
  Mr. Speaker and Madam Chairwoman, I urge that Members of this body 
come together and vote for this very important issue, H.R. 3783.
  Last week marked the 11th anniversary of al Qaeda's attacks on the 
World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Al Qaeda, responsible for the 
tragic deaths of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11, has long operated with 
extensive ties to the Government of Iran. The 9/11 Commission 
documented that al Qaeda operatives traveled to Iran to receive 
training in explosives in the 1990s, that ``Iran facilitated the 
transit of al Qaeda members into and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, 
and that some of these were future 9/11 hijackers.'' This past 
February, the Treasury Department designated the Iranian Ministry of 
Intelligence and Security for its support of terrorist groups including 
al Qaeda.
  Today, the Iranian regime continues pursuing nuclear weapons against 
U.S. and international sanctions. It warns of striking U.S. military 
bases with its ballistic missiles in the event of an attack on Iran. It 
bullies the global energy market with its threats to block the Strait 
of Hormuz. Last October's foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi 
Ambassador to the U.S. revealed, as DNI Director Clapper stated, a 
change in ``calculus'' and a willingness ``to conduct an attack in the 
United States.'' This year alone, a string of assassination attempts by 
Iran and Hezbollah in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Thailand, Georgia, and 
Kenya have only intensified this drumbeat.
  Add to these dangers a growing Iranian presence in the Western 
Hemisphere and we have a serious security threat that demands a U.S. 
response. Since 2005, Iran has increased its embassies from 6 to 11 and 
built 17 cultural centers in Latin America. Iran's diplomacy has led to 
soaring trade with Latin American countries. Brazil increased its 
exports to Iran seven-fold over the past decade to an annual level of 
$2.12 billion. Iranian trade with Argentina and Ecuador has grown, and 
economic contracts between Iran and Venezuela have exploded to more 
than $20 billion in trade and cooperation agreements.
  Iran has also boosted its military ties with Latin America. The 
Defense Department assesses ``with high confidence that during the past 
three decades Iran has methodically cultivated a network of sponsored 
terrorist surrogates capable of targeting U.S. and Israeli interests.'' 
The U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute has labeled 
this threat tied to the explosion of relationships between 
transnational crime and criminalized states in Latin America an 
``emerging tier-one national security priority.'' Two weeks ago, an 
Israeli news organization published a story that ``Iran has established 
a Hizbullah terrorist training base in northern Nicaragua'' with 
operatives ``being trained at the base to attack Israeli and U.S. 
targets in the event of a raid on Iranian nuclear installations.'' Last 
week, press reports revealed that three suspected Hezbollah members 
were arrested in Mexico.
  None of this should come as any surprise to us. Iran has publicly 
stated that ``the promotion of all-out cooperation with Latin American 
countries is among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic's foreign 
policy.'' A 2009 dossier by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs put it 
bluntly: ``since Ahmadinejad's rise to power, Tehran has been promoting 
an aggressive policy aimed at bolstering its ties with Latin American 
countries with the declared goal of `bringing America to its knees.'
  The U.S. must have the capabilities to defend itself from a potential 
Iranian attack on the homeland. We must have a strong posture in our 
region and deepening relationships with our neighbors, so we can 
protect U.S. interests and keep the Western Hemisphere free from 
hostile agents of foreign influence. We must have secure borders to 
prevent Iranian operatives from entering the U.S. It is unconscionable 
that we should let Iran use Latin American countries as a base to 
prepare for potential attacks against the U.S. homeland. Iran poses an 
incalculable risk to the safety of the U.S. homeland. Our duty is to 
ensure we provide for the defense of this country, and the American 
people expect no less. I ask for your support of this legislation.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 4 minutes to my friend and 
colleague from the great State of New York, who is the lead Democratic 
sponsor of this bill, Mr. Higgins.
  Mr. HIGGINS. First, I want to thank Jeff Duncan for his leadership 
and friendship on this issue and for his hard work on this. It's a very 
important bill that obviously enjoys bipartisan support.
  I rise in support of H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in the Western 
Hemisphere Act. This important legislation is of particular interest to 
western New York, and it addresses a pressing national security concern 
for the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah, otherwise known as the ``party of God'' in 
Arabic, is a militant Shia organization committed to violent jihad. It 
is based in Lebanon, but serves as a proxy for Iran, Syria, and 
Venezuela. During hearings in the House Committee on Homeland Security, 
we heard expert testimony linking Hezbollah to criminal activity 
throughout the Western Hemisphere. We learned that there are roughly 80 
Hezbollah operatives in the 15-nation region of Latin America and that 
it is involved in the South American drug trade and radicalization 
efforts in Mexico.
  We also learned that Hezbollah has an active presence in four cities 
in Canada and 15 cities in the United States. I questioned the 
witnesses about Hezbollah's activity in North America. I asked, If 
Hezbollah is not targeting the United States, what are they doing here? 
The response was that these activities were not significant because 
they were largely limited to fundraising. Mr. Speaker, I don't see the 
distinction between terrorist activity and fundraising for terrorist 
activity. If Hezbollah and, by proxy, Iran are using safe havens in and 
around the United States, we must have a strategy to address it.
  As I said, this is of particular concern to western New York because 
one of the communities in which Hezbollah has a presence is Toronto, 
which is 90 miles north of Buffalo. The Buffalo-Niagara region is 
within 500 miles of 55 percent of the United States population and 62 
percent of the Canadian population. Our Peace Bridge is the busiest 
border crossing between the United States and Canada. Our Niagara Power 
Project is the largest energy producer in New York State, and the 
Department of Homeland Security, citing budgetary constraints, just 
dropped our preparedness funding. You can understand if we don't feel 
comfortable with Hezbollah 90 miles away for those who live in Buffalo.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill would address the threat Hezbollah poses to 
communities like mine. It requires the State Department to conduct a 
thorough assessment of the threats we face and to develop a strategy in 
coordination with our allies and partners in the region to address 
Hezbollah's growing presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere.
  Again, I want to thank my colleague, Jeff Duncan, for his work on 
this issue and his leadership on this issue. I also want to thank 
Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for their support.
  I urge passage of this bill.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Turner), a member on the House Committee 
on Foreign Affairs, Veterans' Affairs, and Homeland Security Committee.
  Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South 
Carolina for introducing this resolution.
  I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in 
the Western Hemisphere Act.
  Last week's events in the Middle East and Africa are a stark reminder 
of how fragile peace can be. Iran's leaders have not been afraid to let 
the world know they will attack the United States and our allies, even 
going so far as to claim that they will wipe Israel off the face of the 
Earth.
  Iran is emerging as a threat much closer to our shores in South 
America. Earlier this year, Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 
embarked on a trip that Chairman Ros-Lehtinen accurately characterized 
as a ``tour of tyrants.'' He traveled throughout South America, where 
he met with Venezuela's President Chavez and attended the presidential 
inauguration of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua before going on to Cuba and 
Ecuador.
  Iran continues to deepen its relations with Latin America through its 
ties to the international Islamic Shia group,

[[Page H6083]]

Hezbollah, a State Department-designated foreign terrorist 
organization. According to the Congressional Research Center, 
Hezbollah, along with Iran, has been linked to two bombings against 
Jewish targets in Argentina--the 1972 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in 
Buenos Aires that killed 30 people and the 1994 bombing of the 
Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires that killed 85 
people.
  While increasing tensions between the United States, Israel, and 
Iran, we cannot simply afford to ignore the threats that are looming in 
South America. The Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 
2012 will ensure that threat assessments are conducted, that a 
cooperative strategy is put in place between the United States and her 
allies in the region, and our borders with Canada and Mexico are more 
secure. These efforts will allow our country to better protect our 
citizens and our interests both on our own soil and abroad.
  As we have seen, the threat is real and American lives are at stake. 
We cannot afford to ignore the potential threats to our national 
security that may stem from this area of the world.
  Mr. ENGEL. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. I condemn all the violence that has been talked about 
here, and I also had the opportunity years ago to visit the synagogue 
in Buenos Aires that was the subject of that attack, and I paid my 
respects.
  I want to say that as I've heard this debate, there are two things 
that occur to me: number one, Congress has a right to ask for reports. 
It's our constitutional obligation to find out what the administration 
is doing. I support Congress' right to get information. But at the same 
time, when the debate takes us in a direction to where suddenly we're 
at odds with Latin America, it is an argument for Congress to take a 
strong stand for diplomacy. I hope that as we get these reports, that 
we're going to underscore the importance of diplomacy not only with 
respect to Latin America, but also with respect to Iran. The American 
people do not want another war, and we need diplomacy to take us in a 
direction that makes war not likely.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time we have no further 
requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. I also yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my strong 
support to H.R. 3783, Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act, 
which provides for a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's growing 
presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere. I would also 
like to thank the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Jeff Duncan, for 
introducing this legislation highlighting the very real threat of Iran 
at America's front door.
  If we have learned anything from the complete lack of progress in 
negotiations to keep Iran from making a nuclear weapon, it is that Iran 
is persistent in hostile action and insistent on establishing itself as 
a counterweight to U.S. power and ideals.
  Iran has engaged the U.S. through its Iran Revolutionary Guard Corp 
(IGRC) in Iraq, resulting in the deaths of American men and service 
women. Iran is buttressing the morally bankrupt Assad regime in Syria 
as Syria massacres its own people. And Iran is attacking our friends 
and allies through its proxies, like Hezbollah, which boasts and 
arsenal of 60 to 70,000 rockets, many of which were supplied by Iran 
and are aimed at Israeli neighborhoods.
  Iran has earned its title as a state sponsor of terrorism. No target 
is off limits, and simply being of Jewish descent is apparently 
provocation enough. In 1994, Iran orchestrated one of the worst 
terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere against the AMIA Jewish 
Community Center in Buenos Aires, murdering 85 people and injuring 300 
more. The peace of 200,000 Jewish individuals, many of whom fled to 
Argentina during WWII, was shattered by this barbarous attack.
  Media reports over the last few years have shown an alarming trend of 
increased Iranian IGRC Qods force presence and activity in Latin 
America. Iran's President Ahmadinejad, famous for his repeated denials 
of the Holocaust and dedication to wiping Israel off the map, has made 
visits to Latin America to cultivate alliances with Chavez, Ortega, 
Morales, Castro, and Correa.
  These leaders have stated their commitment to Iran's nuclear 
activities and their faith that ``Iran can give a crushing response to 
the threats and sanctions imposed by the West and imperialism.'' There 
is no question that Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela 
are helping Iran evade the sanctions intended to prevent Iran from 
becoming a nuclear sponsor of state terrorism. The question is, what 
are we doing about it?
  If Iran succeeds in creating a nuclear weapon, it is all too 
conceivable that these allies of Iran in the Western Hemisphere would 
be willing to provide a local launch pad, as Cuba did during the Cold 
War for Russian missiles aimed at the U.S.
  Mr. Speaker, these threats are all too real and all too proximate. 
With H.R. 3783, the Administration will be required to create a 
coordinated, inter-agency plan to ensure that the United States is 
working effectively to counter Iran's hostile aspirations in the 
Western Hemisphere. I urge my colleagues to support this important and 
timely legislation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3783, as amended
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to provide for a 
comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's growing hostile presence and 
activity in the Western Hemisphere, and for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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