,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ghc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ae1 #bjac ,ms4 ,lee of ,california 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer1 ,mr4 ,dingell1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,mr4 ,holt1 and ,mr4 ,moran7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to enhance diplomacy with ,iran to peacefully prevent ,iran from acquiring nuclear weapons1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,prevent ,iran from ,acquiring ,nuclear ,weapons and ,stop ,war ,through ,diplomacy ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,in his ,nobel ,peace ,prize acceptance speech on ,december #aj1 #bjji1 ,president ,obama said1 ,i know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation4 ,but ,i also know that sanctions without outreach--and condemnation without discussion--can carry forward a crippling status quo4 ,no repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door44 7#b7 ,president ,obama stated on ,november #ad1 #bjab1 that1 ,with respect to ,iran1 ,i very much want to see a diplomatic resolution to the problem4 ,i was very clear before the campaign1 ,i was clear during the campaign and ,i'm now clear after the campaign--we're not going to let ,iran get a nuclear weapon4 ,but ,i think there is still a window of time for us to resolve this diplomatically4 ,we've imposed the toughest sanctions in history4 ,it is having an impact on ,iran's economy4 ,there should be a way in which they can enjoy peaceful nuclear power while still meeting their international obligations and providing clear assurances to the international community that they're not pursuing a nuclear weapon44 7#c7 ,while the ,united ,states has engaged in direct negotiations with ,iran without preconditions under the ,obama ,administration1 official representatives of the ,united ,states and official representatives of ,iran have held only two direct1 bilateral meetings in over #cj years1 both of which occurred in ,october #bjji1 one on the sidelines of the ,united ,nations ,security ,council negotiations in ,geneva1 and one on the sidelines of negotiations brokered by the ,united ,nations ,international ,atomic ,energy ,agency 7referred to in this ,act as the ,,iaea7 in ,vienna4 7#d7 ,resolving all of the outstanding issues between the ,united ,states and ,iran cannot be achieved instantaneously and will require a robust1 sustained diplomatic effort involving multilateral and bilateral negotiations4 7#e7 ,under the ,department of ,state's current no contact policy1 officers and employees of the ,department of ,state are not permitted to make any direct contact with official representatives of the ,government of ,iran without express prior authorization from the ,secretary of ,state4 7#f7 ,on ,september #bj1 #bjaa1 then-,chairman of the ,joint ,chiefs of ,staff ,admiral ,mike ,mullen called for establishing direct communications with ,iran1 stating1 ,i'm talking about any channel that's open4 ,we've not had a direct link of communication with ,iran since #aigi4 ,and ,i think that has planted many seeds for miscalculation4 ,when you miscalculate1 you can escalate and misunderstand44 7#g7 ,while the ,international ,atomic ,energy ,agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in ,iran and has inspectors and monitoring devices located at ,iranian nuclear facilities1 the agency has expressed concerns regarding ,iran's past and ongoing nuclear work that can only be resolved through increased transparency1 more robust safeguards1 and a more vigorous inspections regime4 7#h7 ,on ,october #c1 #bjab1 former ,secretary of ,defense ,robert ,gates stated1 ,the results of an ,american or ,israeli military strike on ,iran could1 in my view1 prove catastrophic1 haunting us for generations in that part of the world41 adding that ,such an attack would make a nuclear-armed ,iran inevitable4 ,they would just bury the program deeper and make it more covert44 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it should be the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to prevent ,iran from pursuing or acquiring a nuclear weapon and to resolve the concerns of the ,united ,states and of the international community about ,iran's nuclear program and ,iran's human rights obligations under international and ,iranian law2 7#b7 to ensure inspection of suspected prohibited cargo to or from ,iran1 as well as the seizure and disposal of prohibited items1 as authorized by ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #aibi 7,june #i1 #bjaj72 7#c7 to pursue sustained1 direct1 bilateral negotiations with the ,government of ,iran without preconditions in order to reduce tensions1 prevent war1 prevent nuclear proliferation1 support human rights1 and seek resolutions to issues that concern the ,united ,states and the international community2 7#d7 to utilize all diplomatic tools1 including engaging in direct bilateral and multilateral diplomacy1 leveraging sanctions1 engaging in ,track ,,ii diplomacy1 creating a special envoy described in section #d1 and enlisting the support of all interested parties to prevent a nuclear-armed ,iran and to prevent war2 7#e7 to secure an agreement that ensures ,iran does not engage in nuclear weapons work and that ,iran's nuclear enrichment program is verifiably limited to civilian purposes through the implementation of robust safeguards and enhanced ,,iaea inspections1 including through the implementation of the ,additional ,protocol2 7#f7 to pursue opportunities to build mutual trust and to foster sustained negotiations in good faith with ,iran and to explore areas of mutual benefit to both ,iran and the ,united ,states1 such as regional security1 the long-term stabilization of ,iraq and ,afghanistan1 the establishment of a framework for peaceful nuclear energy production1 other peaceful energy modernization programs1 and counter-narcotics efforts2 and 7#g7 that no funds appropriated or otherwise made available to any executive agency of the ,government of the ,united ,states may be used to carry out any military operation or activity against ,iran unless the ,president determines that a military operation or activity is warranted and seeks express prior authorization by ,congress1 as required under article ,i1 section #h1 clause #b of the ,united ,states ,constitution1 which grants ,congress the sole authority to declare war1 except that this requirement shall not apply to a military operation or activity-- 7,a7 to directly repel an offensive military action launched from within the territory of ,iran against the ,united ,states or any ally with which the ,united ,states has a mutual defense assistance agreement2 7,b7 in hot pursuit of forces that engage in an offensive military action outside the territory of ,iran against ,united ,states forces or an ally with which the ,united ,states has a mutual defense assistance agreement and then enter into the territory of ,iran2 or 7,c7 to directly thwart an imminent offensive military action to be launched from within the territory of ,iran against ,united ,states forces or an ally with which the ,united ,states has a mutual defense assistance agreement4 #d4 ,appointment of high-level ,united ,states representative or special envoy 7a7 ,appointment ,at the earliest possible date1 the ,president1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall appoint a high-level ,united ,states representative or special envoy for ,iran4 7b7 ,criteria for appointment ,the ,president shall appoint an individual under subsection 7a7 on the basis of such individual's knowledge and understanding of ,iran and the issues regarding ,iran's nuclear program1 experience in conducting international negotiations1 and ability to conduct negotiations under subsection 7c7 with the respect and trust of the parties involved in such negotiations4 7c7 ,duties ,the high-level ,united ,states representative or special envoy for ,iran shall-- 7#a7 seek to facilitate direct1 unconditional1 bilateral1 and multilateral negotiations with ,iran for the purpose of easing tensions and normalizing relations between the ,united ,states and ,iran2 7#b7 lead the diplomatic efforts of the ,united ,states with regard to ,iran2 7#c7 consult with other countries and international organizations1 including countries in the region1 where appropriate and when necessary to achieve the purpose specified in paragraph 7#a72 7#d7 act as liaison with ,united ,states and international intelligence agencies where appropriate and when necessary to achieve the purpose specified in paragraph 7#a72 and 7#e7 ensure that the bilateral negotiations under paragraph 7#a7 complement the ongoing international negotiations with ,iran4 #e4 ,duties of the secretary of state 7a7 ,elimination of no contact policy ,not later than #cj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall rescind the no contact policy that prevents officers and employees of the ,department of ,state from making any direct contact with official representatives of the ,government of ,iran without express prior authorization from the ,secretary of ,state4 7b7 ,office of high-,level ,united ,states representative or special envoy ,not later than #cj days after the appointment of a high-level ,united ,states representative or special envoy under section #d1 the ,secretary of ,state shall establish an office in the ,department of ,state for the purpose of supporting the work of such representative or special envoy4 #f4 ,reporting to ,congress 7a7 ,reports ,not later than #fj days after the high-level ,united ,states representative or special envoy for ,iran is appointed under section #d and every #ahj days thereafter1 such ,united ,states representative or special envoy shall submit to the committees specified in subsection 7b7 a report on the steps that have been taken to facilitate direct1 unconditional1 bilateral1 and multilateral negotiations with the ,government of ,iran under section #d7;c74 ,each such report may1 when necessary or appropriate1 be submitted in classified and unclassified form4 7b7 ,committees ,the committees referred to in subsection 7a7 are-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,appropriations1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence of the ,senate4 #g4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years #bjac and #bjad4