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Summary:
The Bush Administration characterizes Iran as a "profound threat to U.S. national security interests," a perception generated primarily by Iran's nuclear program and its military assistance to armed groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the Palestinian group Hamas, and to Lebanese Hezbollah. The Bush Administration's approach has been to try to prevent a nuclear breakout by Iran by applying coordinated international economic pressure on Iran while also offering it potential cooperation should it comply with the international demands to suspend its enrichment of uranium. The incorporation of diplomacy and engagement into the overall U.S. strategy led the Administration to approve the participation of a highlevel State Department official at multilateral nuclear talks with Iran on July 19, 2008, although that meeting, and subsequent discussions, have not resulted in Iran's acceptance of the international offer of incentives. During 2006 and 2007, three U.N. Security Council resolutions (1737, 1747, and 1803) imposed sanctions that ban weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-related trade with Iran; freeze the assets of Iran's nuclear and related entities and personalities; prevent Iran from transferring arms outside Iran; ban or require reporting on international travel by named Iranians; call for inspections of some Iranian sea and airborne cargo shipments; and call for restrictions on dealings with some Iranian banks. Further U.N. Security Council sanctions have been considered, although progress was slowed by U.S.-Russia tensions over Georgia in August 2008. In an attempt to show continued unity, the Council adopted U.N. Security Council 1835 on September 27, 2008, which stressed the need for Iran to comply but did not impose any additional sanctions. Separate U.S. efforts to persuade European governments to curb trade, investment, and credits to Iran; and to convince foreign banks not to do business with Iran, are beginning to weaken Iran's economy, by many accounts, and might be causing debate among Iranian leaders over how to respond to international demands. To strengthen its approach, the Administration has maintained a substantial naval presence in the Persian Gulf, which U.S. commanders insist would prevent any Iranian attempts to close the crucial Strait of Hormuz for any extended period. The Administration strongly denies that it is planning to take military action against Iran, but has refused to rule it out if no other efforts to curb Iran's uranium enrichment program succeed. An alternate question is how the Administration would react to any Israeli attempt to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Others believe that only a change of Iran's regime would end the threat posed by Iran, although regime change is not currently a prominent feature of Administration policy toward Iran. Bills at various stages of consideration in the 110th Congress, including H.R. 1400, S. 970, S. 3227, S. 3445, H.R. 7112, H.Con.Res. 362, and S.Res. 580 would tighten U.S. sanctions on Iran. This report is updated regularly. For further information, see CRS Report RS20871, The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), and CRS Report RS22323, Iran's Activities and Influence in Iraq, both by Kenneth Katzman, and CRS Report RL34544, Iran's Nuclear Program: Status, by Paul Kerr.
