Only recently have some come to think that diplomacy by definition cannot be tough. They forget the example of Truman and Kennedy and Reagan. These Presidents understood that diplomacy backed by real leverage was a fundamental tool of State-craft. And it is time to once again make an American diplomacy a tool to succeed--not just a means of containing failure. We will pursue this diplomacy with no illusions about the Iranian regime. Instead we will present a clear choice. If you abandon your dangerous nuclear program, your support for terror, and your threats to Israel there will be meaningful incentives, including the lifting of sanctions and political and economic integration with the international community. If you refuse, we will ratchet up the pressure. My Presidency will strengthen our hand as we restore our standing. Our willingness to pursue diplomacy will make it easier to mobilize others to join our cause. If Iran fails to change course when presented with this choice by the United States it will be clear to the people of Iran and to the world that the Iranian regime is the author of its own isolation and that will strengthen our hand with Russia and China as we insist on stronger sanctions in the Security Council. And we should work with Europe, Japan, and the Gulf States to find every avenue outside the United Nations to isolate the Iranian regime from cutting off loan guarantees and expanding financial sanctions to banning the export of refined petroleum to Iran to boycotting firms associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard whose Kuds forces have rightly been labeled a terrorist organization.
I was interested to see Senator McCain propose divestment as a source of leverage, not the bigoted divestment that is sought to punish Israeli scientists and academics but divestment targeted at the Iranian regime. It’s a good concept but not a new one; I introduced legislation over a year ago that would encourage States and the private sector to divest from companies that do business in Iran. This Bill has bipartisan support; this Bill has bipartisan support but for reasons that I’ll let him explain, Senator McCain never signed on. Meanwhile an anonymous Senator is blocking the Bill. It is time to pass this into law so that we can tighten the squeeze on the Iranian regime. We should also pursue other unilateral sanctions that target Iranian banks and Iranian assets.
And if we want real leverage over Iran we must free ourselves from the tyranny of oil. The price--the price of a barrel of oil is one of the most dangerous weapons in the world. Petro dollars paid for weapons that killed American troops and Israeli citizens and the Bush Administration’s policies have driven up the price of oil while its energy policy has made us more dependent on foreign oil and gas. It is time for the United States to take real steps to end our addiction to oil and we can join Israel building on last year’s US Israeli Energy Cooperation Act to deepen our partnership in developing alternative sources of energy.
We should work--we should work with Israel, increasing scientific collaboration and join research and development. The surest way to increase our leverage in the long-term is to stop bankrolling the Iranian regime.
Finally, let there be no doubt, I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally, Israel. Do not be confused. Sometimes there are no alternatives to confrontation but that only makes diplomacy more important. If we must use military force we are more likely to succeed and we’ll have far greater support at home and abroad if we have exhausted our diplomatic efforts. That--that is the change we need in our foreign policy, change that restores American power and influence; change accompanied by a pledge that I will make known to allies and adversaries alike--that America maintains an unwavering friendship with Israel and an unshakable commitment to its security.
As members of AIPAC you have helped advance this bipartisan consensus to support and defend our ally, Israel. And I’m sure that today on Capitol Hill you’ll be meeting with members of Congress and spreading the word. But we are here because of more than policy; we are here because the values we hold dear are deeply embedded in the story of Israel. Just look at what Israel has accomplished in 60 years--from decades of struggle in the terrible wake of the Holocaust, a nation was forced to provide a home for Jews from all comers, all around the world, from Syria to Ethiopia to the Soviet Union. In the face of constant threats Israel has triumphed. In the face of constant peril, Israel has prospered. In a state of constant insecurity Israel has maintained a vibrant and open discourse and a resilient commitment to the Rule of Law.
