Washington, DC - As the House of Representatives prepares to vote on the matter next week, Christian leaders representing millions of evangelicals, Roman Catholics, and other Christians have sent a letter to leaders in the House of Representatives today urging immediate passage of tough sanctions on Iran intended to prevent that rogue regime from obtaining nuclear weapons. "Now that supermajorities in the House and Senate have made their support for sanctions known, and now that the Iranian regime has made its increasing defiance clear to the world, the time for Congress to act has arrived," according to Dr. Richard Land, of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The letter (http://www.clnfi.org/) urges the House to pass, at a minimum, a cut-off of exports of refined petroleum products, including gasoline, as a firm yet peaceful measure against the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.
After repeated efforts to persuade Iran to comply with it international obligations and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently reported to its member nations that its diplomatic efforts with the Iranian regime have come to a "dead end." Since then, defiant Iranian officials have announced plans to begin building additional nuclear facilities.
The leaders point out that at the onset of his diplomatic effort with Iran this spring, President Obama said that "by the end of the year we should have some sense whether or not these discussions are starting to yield significant benefits," and specifically held out the prospect of sanctions against Tehran "to ensure that Iran understands we are serious." That deadline is mere days away, and just as President Obama said, Tehran needs proof we are serious.
The Leaders include Pat Robertson of Christian Broadcasting Network, Richard Land of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Dr. James Merritt of Cross Pointe Church, Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America, Gary Bauer of American Values, Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family, and Dr. John Hagee of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, and Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice.
The leaders urge Congress to take advantage of the overwhelming bipartisan majority in both the House and the Senate and bring legislation implementing sanctions to a vote immediately.
The letter is an initiative of Christian Leaders for a Nuclear-Free Iran, an ad hoc coalition of evangelical, Roman Catholic and other faith leaders who have come together as a united, ecumenical voice that is reaching out to policy makers and opinion leaders calling for urgent action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The coalition argues that Iran's nuclear weapons program will destabilize the Middle East, lead to an arms race in a volatile part of the world, and threaten the United States and its allies in Europe.
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