112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. J. RES. 41 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the nuclear 

program of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Whereas, since at least the late 1980s, the Government of the 

Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged in a sustained and 

well-documented pattern of illicit and deceptive activities 

to acquire nuclear capability; 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council has adopted 

multiple resolutions since 2006 demanding the full and 

sustained suspension of all uranium enrichment-related 

and reprocessing activities by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its full cooperation with the 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on all outstanding issues related to its nuclear activities, particularly those concerning the possible military dimensions of 

its nuclear program; 

Whereas, on November 8, 2011, the IAEA issued an extensive report that— 

(1) documents ‘‘serious concerns regarding possible 

military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme’’; 

(2) states that ‘‘Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device’’; and 

(3) states that the efforts described in paragraphs 

(1) and (2) may be ongoing; 
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†SJ 41 ES 

Whereas, as of November 2008, Iran had produced, according to the IAEA— 

(1) approximately 630 kilograms of uranium 

hexaflouride enriched up to 3.5 percent uranium-235; 

and 

(2) no uranium hexaflouride enriched up to 20 percent uranium-235; 

Whereas, as of November 2011, Iran had produced, according to the IAEA— 

(1) nearly 5,000 kilograms of uranium hexaflouride 

enriched up to 3.5 percent uranium-235; and 

(2) 79.7 kilograms of uranium hexaflouride enriched 

up to 20 percent uranium-235; 

Whereas, on January 9, 2012, IAEA inspectors confirmed 

that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran had 

begun enrichment activities at the Fordow site, including 

possibly enrichment of uranium hexaflouride up to 20 

percent uranium-235; 

Whereas section 2(2) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 

Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 

111–195) states, ‘‘The United States and other responsible countries have a vital interest in working together 

to prevent the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.’’; 

Whereas if the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 

were successful in acquiring a nuclear weapon capability, 

it would likely spur other countries in the region to consider developing their own nuclear weapons capabilities; 

Whereas, on December 6, 2011, Prince Turki al-Faisal of 

Saudi Arabia stated that if international efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons fail, ‘‘we must, 
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†SJ 41 ES 

as a duty to our country and people, look into all options 

we are given, including obtaining these weapons ourselves’’; 

Whereas top leaders of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran have repeatedly threatened the existence of the 

State of Israel, pledging to ‘‘wipe Israel off the map’’; 

Whereas the Department of State has designated Iran as a 

state sponsor of terrorism since 1984 and characterized 

Iran as the ‘‘most active state sponsor of terrorism’’; 

Whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 

provided weapons, training, funding, and direction to terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Shiite 

militias in Iraq that are responsible for the murders of 

hundreds of United States forces and innocent civilians; 

Whereas, on July 28, 2011, the Department of the Treasury 

charged that the Government of Iran had forged a ‘‘secret deal’’ with al Qaeda to facilitate the movement of al 

Qaeda fighters and funding through Iranian territory; 

Whereas, in October 2011, senior leaders of Iran’s Islamic 

Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force were implicated in a terrorist plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s 

Ambassador to the United States on United States soil; 

Whereas, on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General 

Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the serious 

human rights abuses occurring in the Islamic Republic of 

Iran, including torture, cruel and degrading treatment in 

detention, the targeting of human rights defenders, violence against women, and ‘‘the systematic and serious restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly’’ as well as severe restrictions on the rights to ‘‘freedom of thought, 

conscience, religion or belief’’; 
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†SJ 41 ES 

Whereas President Barack Obama, through the P5+1 process, has made repeated efforts to engage the Government 

of the Islamic Republic of Iran in dialogue about Iran’s 

nuclear program and its international commitments 

under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

Weapons, done at Washington, London, and Moscow July 

1, 1968, and entered into force March 5, 1970 (commonly known as the ‘‘Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’’); 

Whereas representatives of the P5+1 countries (the United 

States, France, Germany, the People’s Republic of China, 

the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom) and 

representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran held negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program in Istanbul, Turkey on 

April 14, 2012, and these discussions are set to resume 

in Baghdad, Iraq on May 23, 2012; 

Whereas, on March 31, 2010, President Obama stated that 

the ‘‘consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran are unacceptable’’; 

Whereas in his State of the Union Address on January 24, 

2012, President Obama stated, ‘‘Let there be no doubt: 

America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to 

achieve that goal.’’; 

Whereas, on March 4, 2012, President Obama stated ‘‘Iran’s 

leaders should understand that I do not have a policy of 

containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon’’; 

Whereas Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stated, in December 2011, that it was unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, reaffirmed that all options were 
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†SJ 41 ES 

on the table to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons efforts, 

and vowed that if the United States gets ‘‘intelligence 

that they are proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop it’’; 

Whereas the Department of Defense’s January 2012 Strategic Guidance stated that United States defense efforts 

in the Middle East would be aimed ‘‘to prevent Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons capability and counter its 

destabilizing policies’’; and 

Whereas, on April 2, 2012, President Obama stated, ‘‘All the 

evidence indicates that the Iranians are trying to develop 

the capacity to develop nuclear weapons. They might decide that, once they have that capacity that they’d hold 

off right at the edge in order not to incur more sanctions. 

But, if they’ve got nuclear weapons-building capacity and 

they are flouting international resolutions, that creates 

huge destabilizing effects in the region and will trigger an 

arms race in the Middle East that is bad for U.S. national security but is also bad for the entire world.’’: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

4 That Congress— 

5 (1) reaffirms that the United States Govern6 ment and the governments of other responsible coun7 tries have a vital interest in working together to pre8 vent the Government of Iran from acquiring a nu9 clear weapons capability; 
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1 (2) warns that time is limited to prevent the 

2 Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from ac3 quiring a nuclear weapons capability; 

4 (3) urges continued and increasing economic 

5 and diplomatic pressure on the Islamic Republic of 

6 Iran until the Government of the Islamic Republic of 

7 Iran agrees to and implements— 

8 (A) the full and sustained suspension of all 

9 uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing 

10 activities and compliance with United Nations 

11 Security Council resolutions; 

12 (B) complete cooperation with the IAEA 

13 on all outstanding questions related to the nu14 clear activities of the Government of the Islamic 

15 Republic of Iran, including the implementation 

16 of the additional protocol to Iran’s Safeguards 

17 Agreement with the IAEA; and 

18 (C) a permanent agreement that verifiably 

19 assures that Iran’s nuclear program is entirely 

20 peaceful; 

21 (4) expresses the desire that the P5+1 process 

22 successfully and swiftly leads to the objectives identi23 fied in paragraph (3), but warns that, as President 

24 Obama has said, the window for diplomacy is clos25 ing; 
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1 (5) expresses support for the universal rights 

2 and democratic aspirations of the people of Iran; 

3 (6) strongly supports United States policy to 

4 prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic of 

5 Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability; 

6 (7) rejects any United States policy that would 

7 rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable 

8 Iran; and 

9 (8) joins the President in ruling out any policy 

10 that would rely on containment as an option in re11 sponse to the Iranian nuclear threat. 

12 SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

13 Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an 

14 authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war. 

Passed the Senate September 22 (legislative day, 

September 21), 2012. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. J. RES. 41 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the nuRepublic of Iran. clear program of the Government of the Islamic