BERKELEY, CA - July 16 - The House Foreign Affairs Committee may soon begin considering a resolution offered by Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.) that would prohibit exporting petroleum to Iran and impose "stringent inspection requirements" on all people, vehicles, and cargo going in and out of the country. This legislation has sent off alarm bells throughout the peace and security community.

"The Ackerman-Pence resolution includes a clause that could be interpreted as calling for a naval blockade of Iran," remarked Cara Bautista, Deputy Political Director of Peace Action West. "According to international law, that would be an act of war."

The resolution is intended to tighten the screws on Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, despite the fact that there is no evidence that Iran is attempting to build a nuclear weapon, and if they were, most experts believe that Iran would be years away from achieving any kind of nuclear weapons capability.

"There is still an opportunity for the US to conduct direct talks with Iran, a process that the Bush administration has yet to try," noted Ms. Bautista. "Congress needs to push the Bush administration for direct diplomacy, and this resolution would be a big step in the wrong direction. The danger is that the Ackerman-Pence resolution would give President Bush a green light by signaling that Congress would stand behind increased military aggression against Iran."

According to a recent poll by Public Agenda, the resolution is counter to what the vast majority of Americans want. The poll shows that only 5 percent of Americans support threatening Iran with military action, and only 7 percent support taking military action.

Peace Action West is encouraging Americans to contact their representatives, if they sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, about the resolution at this link: http://www.capwiz.com/peaceactionwest/issues/alert/?alertid=11529491

Peace Action West advocates for a foreign policy that embodies the best values of the American people. As a membership organization with close to 50,000 supporters, we foster broad-based civic activism to create a strong voice for peaceful and pragmatic solutions to global problems. Our activities serve as a bridge between the public and the officials who make decisions that affect the lives of millions of people. More information on the organization and its campaigns is available at www.peaceactionwest.org.