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Letter to the Hon. Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of State - Fitzpatrick Joins Overwhelming Bipartisan Majority of House Members Calls On Administration To Extend Iran Arms Embargo

Letter

By: Bryan Steil, Denny Heck, Jennifer Wexton, Denver Riggleman III, John Carter, Chip Roy, Van Taylor, Mark Green, Dusty Johnson, William Timmons, Jenniffer González-Colón, Fred Keller, Dan Meuser, Paul Tonko, Steven Horsford, Deb Haaland, Jeff Van Drew, Dan Bishop, Greg Murphy, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Peter Stauber, Katherine Clark, André Carson, Sean Casten, Hank Johnson, Jr., Sanford Bishop, Jr., Frederica Wilson, Greg Steube, Ross Spano, Michael Waltz, Eleanor Norton, Mark Takano, Devin Nunes, John Garamendi, Aumua Amata Radewagen, Carol Miller, Kim Schrier, Ben Cline, Elaine Luria, Ben McAdams, Michael Cloud, Lizzie Fletcher, Lance Gooden, Dan Crenshaw, David Kustoff, John Rose, Ralph Norman, Jr., John Joyce, Lloyd Smucker, Kendra Horn, Kevin Hern, Anthony Gonzalez, Troy Balderson, Max Rose, Susie Lee, Xochitl Torres Small, Mikie Sherrill, Andy Kim, Chris Pappas, Kelly Armstrong, Greg Gianforte, Jim Hagedorn, Haley Stevens, Paul Mitchell, Elissa Slotkin, Lori Trahan, Mike Johnson, Ron Estes, Roger Marshall, Jim Baird, Lauren Underwood, Russ Fulcher, Lucy McBath, Donna Shalala, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, John Rutherford, Jahana Hayes, Joe Neguse, Mike Levin, Harley Rouda, Josh Harder, Greg Stanton, Debbie Lesko, Mike Gallagher, Sylvia Garcia, Jodey Arrington, Veronica Escobar, Joe Cunningham, Mary Scanlon, Madeleine Dean, Warren Davidson, Joe Morelle, Anthony Brindisi, Antonio Delgado, Donald Bacon, Ted Budd, Trent Kelly, Angie Craig, Jack Bergman, Jared Golden, Clay Higgins, James Comer, Jr., Sharice Davids, Trey Hollingsworth III, Jim Banks, Darin LaHood, Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer, Drew Ferguson, Neal Dunn, Matt Gaetz, Jason Crow, Gil Cisneros, T.J. Cox, Andy Biggs, Alex Mooney, Dan Newhouse, Donald McEachin, Conor Lamb, Elise Stefanik, Thomas Suozzi, David Rouzer, Mark Walker, John Moolenaar, Jamie Raskin, Barry Loudermilk, Darren Soto, Jimmy Gomez, Jimmy Panetta, Tom O'Halleran, Bruce Westerman, Glenn Grothman, Brian Babin, Roger Williams, Will Hurd, Randy Weber, Sr., Dwight Evans, Brad Wenstrup, John Katko, Kathleen Rice, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Joshua Gottheimer, Jason Smith, Tom Emmer, Brenda Lawrence, Anthony Brown, Seth Moulton, Garret Graves, Ralph Abraham, Mike Bost, Brad Schneider, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rick Allen, Buddy Carter, Charlie Crist, Jr., Val Demings, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Lou Correa, Nanette Barragán, Norma Torres, Salud Carbajal, French Hill, Bradley Byrne, Chris Stewart, Tom Rice, Brendan Boyle, Markwayne Mullin, Dave Joyce, Donald Norcross, Alma Adams, Richard Hudson, Jr., George Holding, Jackie Walorski, Ed Case, Pete Aguilar, Doug LaMalfa, Ruben Gallego, Ann Kirkpatrick, David McKinley, Derek Kilmer, Filemon Vela, Jr., Marc Veasey, Matt Cartwright, Steve Stivers, Sean Maloney, Grace Meng, Mark Amodei, Annie Kuster, Steven Palazzo, Joe Kennedy III, Andy Barr, Susan Brooks, Cheri Bustos, Rodney Davis, Doug Collins, Austin Scott, Rob Woodall, Daniel Webster, Al Lawson, Jr., Scott Peters, Alan Lowenthal, Raul Ruiz, Tony Cárdenas, Julia Brownley, Eric Swalwell, Paul Cook, David Schweikert, Steve Womack, Martha Roby, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Suzan DelBene, Morgan Griffith, Mike Kelly, Jr., Suzanne Bonamici, Bill Johnson, Joyce Beatty, Don Payne, Jr., Billy Long, Vicky Hartzler, Bill Huizenga, Andy Harris, Bill Foster, Mike Quigley, Robin Kelly, Judy Chu, Terri Sewell, Bill Flores, Steve Cohen, Scott DesJarlais, Chuck Fleischmann, Jeff Duncan, Kurt Schrader, Bob Gibbs, John Sarbanes, Larry Bucshon, Dave Loebsack, Jim Himes, Joe Courtney, Ed Perlmutter, Jerry McNerney, Paul Gosar, Rick Crawford, Rick Larsen, Rob Wittman, Henry Cuellar, Pete Olson, Phil Roe, Jim Langevin, GT Thompson, Jr., Tim Ryan, Bob Latta, Jim Jordan, Brian Higgins, Tom Reed II, Yvette Clarke, Adrian Smith, Emanuel Cleaver II, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Tim Walberg, Dutch Ruppersberger, Brett Guthrie, Dan Lipinski, Tom Graves, Jr., David Scott, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor, Bill Posey, Doug Lamborn, Susan Davis, Linda Sánchez, Adam Schiff, Doris Matsui, Tom McClintock, Mo Brooks, Ron Kind, Adam Smith, Cathy Rodgers, Rob Bishop, Eddie Johnson, Michael Burgess, Kenny Marchant, Mac Thornberry, Mike Conaway, Kevin Brady, Louie Gohmert, Jim Cooper, Mike Doyle, Jr., Greg Walden, Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, Mike Turner, José Serrano, Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, Nydia Velázquez, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Frank Pallone, Jr., Jeff Fortenberry, Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, Sam Graves, Lacy Clay, Jr., Collin Peterson, Jim McGovern, Richard Neal, John Shimkus, Jan Schakowsky, Mike Simpson, Steve King, John Lewis, Mario Diaz-Balart, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Vern Buchanan, Gus Bilirakis, Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Diana DeGette, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Grace Napolitano, Anna Eshoo, Robert Aderholt, Mike Rogers, Abigail Spanberger, John Curtis, Colin Allred, Vicente Gonzalez, Ron Wright, Tim Burchett, Guy Reschenthaler, Susan Wild, Chrissy Houlahan, Marcy Kaptur, Adriano Espaillat, Pete King, Dina Titus, Tom Malinowski, Michael Guest, Ann Wagner, Ilhan Omar, Dean Phillips, Andy Levin, Fred Upton, David Trone, Hal Rogers, Steven Watkins, Jr., Greg Pence, Francis Rooney, Brian Mast, Ken Buck, Juan Vargas, Ken Calvert, Ted Lieu, Jim Costa, Donald Young, Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr., Joe Wilson, Sr., David Cicilline, Scott Perry, Steve Chabot, Gregory Meeks, Lee Zeldin, Albio Sires, Chris Smith, Bill Keating, Adam Kinzinger, Ted Deutch, Ted Yoho, Karen Bass, Brad Sherman, Ami Bera, Liz Cheney, Kay Granger, Michael McCaul, Nita Lowey, Eliot Engel, Hakeem Jeffries, Ben Lujan, Jr., Steny Hoyer, Stephen Lynch, Steve Scalise, Jody Hice, Lois Frankel, Stephanie Murphy, Kevin McCarthy, Gary Palmer, Brian Fitzpatrick
Date: May 4, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security Defense Foreign Affairs Trade

Dear Secretary Pompeo:

We write to urge increased diplomatic action by the United States to renew the expiring United Nations arms embargo against Iran and United Nations travel restrictions on those Iranian individuals involved with dangerous proliferation activities.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 bans arms transfers to and from Iran, yet Iran routinely violates this resolution with impunity, particularly in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Iran's illicit transfers of weapons directly contribute to some of the most destabilizing threats to the United States and our partners in the Middle East such as Israel and the Gulf States. Even so, the resolution serves as an important means to restrain the sale of weapons to Iran and makes a clear continued international resolve to stop Iran's illicit weapons transfers.

The U.N. arms embargo is set to expire in October, and we are concerned that the ban's expiration will lead to more states buying and selling weapons to and from Iran. Additionally, states concerned about Iran's malign activities may feel they do not have sufficient legal authority to stop transfers once the U.N. embargo expires. This could have disastrous consequences for U.S. national security and our regional allies. We urge you to work with allies and like-minded partners, including through the United Nations Security Council, to extend these provisions in order to prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons, while also working to increase accountability for violations of the existing embargo. We also urge you to make clear to the international community that U.S. sanctions on Iranian arms transfers remain in place and will be fully enforced.

We are also concerned about the expiration of the U.N.-imposed travel restrictions on some of Iran's most notorious individuals who have long violated U.N. proliferation and weapons restrictions. The U.N. travel restrictions allow states to refuse transit to covered individuals, which limits their ability to train, fundraise, and plan around the globe. Restricting their movement is critical to our national security.

As we work to extend the U.N. travel restrictions, we should also take steps to ensure that they cover all of Iran's most dangerous actors and are fully enforced. The newly named head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), General Esmail Ghanni, is not on the list of named Iranians, despite his experience training Iranian-backed militias in Afghanistan that have targeted American troops and his responsibility for IRGC-QF activities in Pakistan. Additionally, enforcement of these travel bans is key. Former IRGC-QF Commander Qassem Soleimani routinely flouted these UN travel restrictions, including visiting Russia to coordinate Russia's deadly intervention in Syria. We urge you to lead a campaign within the Security Council to expand this list and facilitate its full enforcement.

America must continue its longstanding, bipartisan leadership in order to limit Iran's destabilizing activities throughout the world. We look forward to working with you to re-authorize these expiring U.N. restrictions, which are essential to protecting our national security and the American people.


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