and the same thing with regard to iran. there's no discussion about iran's elections. there's no discussions about fraud or free and fair or open and transparent electoral processes. there's no discussion about mahmoud ahmadinejad prospects or that faction or this faction for the same exact reasons that i gave before, about not giving iran any pretext to interfere in their societies to any greater degree than iran already has over the last 30 years. with regard to yemen this time, yes, they did address yemen but in a unanimous support for saudi arabia's position as well as the yemen government's position and going over and beyond what has passed for conventional wisdom or established thought or informed opinion regarding what has been happening and has not been happening in yemen, you have something profoundly different and profoundly less than what the media has made out to be. the words "crisis" are individually used but this particular crisis thus for yemen pales in insignificance by comparison and contrast to five previous crises that yemen has dealt with over the

any good understand and services to iran -- goods and services to iran.nd has other sanctions as well. mr. speaker, any serious effort to peacefully stop iran from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, which i believe they will use if they acquire them, requires the strongest political and economic pressure that we can muster. h.r. 2194 is a step, the right step, in that direction. i thank the chair. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: i yield myself three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. kucinich: this legislation obstructs the obama administration's ongoing negotiations with iran, amounts to economic warfare against the iranian people and brings us closer to an unnecessary military confrontation. i'd like to delineate point by point the objections to this bill. first of all, i agree with mr. paul that the bill is opposed to our national security. i have a letter here as mr. blumenauer submitted for the record from the dep

any good understand and services to iran -- goods and services to iran. and has other sanctions as well. mr. speaker, any serious effort to peacefully stop iran from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, which i believe they will use if they acquire them, requires the strongest political and economic pressure that we can muster. h.r. 2194 is a step, the right step, in that direction. i thank the chair. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: i yield myself three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. kucinich: this legislation obstructs the obama administration's ongoing negotiations with iran, amounts to economic warfare against the iranian people and brings us closer to an unnecessary military confrontation. i'd like to delineate point by point the objections to this bill. first of all, i agree with mr. paul that the bill is opposed to our national security. i have a letter here as mr. blumenauer submitted for the record from the d

iran has done it before, they ended the iran/iraq war when some hussein was still in power, and that is another reference point i think we have to keep in mind, but one thing that is worrisome to me, and it is worrisome when i listen to iason, and that is the mentality of this particular group. during the iran/iraq war, you had people who had visited the west. i remember interviewing one and about his visit and talking about his impressions of the state. one had lived in turkey, iran, -- turkey, iraq, france. many important figures in the revolution had been educated abroad, and you do not have that with this particular if cohort. there are people in the revolutionary guard, members of the force i have met who are the force i have met who are relatively sophisticated, but it does not come from on the ground experience in the west, and this is worrisome. it raises the possibility of miscalculation, and one wonders how far iran will go before it will perhaps make a compromise, and one wonders what measures might be needed in order to convince iran to compromise. so it is a very nerve w

let's be clear, the road to a nuclear iran and a democratic iran lead in opposite directions.his out. the closer they get to a nuclear ability, the less oppressive they become. we should pay as much attention to what is happening on the iranian street as the nuclear program. what is happening on the street will dictate what the country looks like over the next years. host: let's look at an article from the wall street journal, at the height of iran's arrest, a young doctor refused to sign death certificates at an iran prison that were falsified to cover up murder. he told friends and families that he feared hear his life and then found dead. do you know about this story, and the piece talks about how the controversy of what happened to him is turning him into a martyr. guest: that's right, the story is touching but it's more significant for what it signifies. on the one hand you have iranians and young ones, and he's on the younger end of middle age that is looking at what the regime is doing, we can't sit along and be silent. and on the other hand what you see what happens to

abuses of the regime in iran and express my strong support for h.r. 2194 as well. in the midst of this debate. the reason why the identify ran refined petroleum sanctions act has broad bipartisan support and that will be reflected on the floor this day is among other reasons the support for terrorism by iran, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, the deception of the world community again and again, but to the point of this debate, it is also imperative that the people of united states of america send a message to iran that the aggressive repression of a free press in iran will not be tolerated in the form of of normal relations with the united states of america. either diplomatically or economically. at this point the committee to protect journalists reports there are some 23 journalists

and again with opportunities in iran, i mean, iran already calls the united states the great say then. they already want to kill us. and so i -- the great satan. so i guess at one point does kind of lip service to human rights to actually do something. it's not so much me being critical of the administration. but when you see your governmental leaders say one thing and then not do anything and you say you're taking a soft approach, a quiet approach, well, who cares? because it's not effective. and so it seems cowardly in my mind. and so you know when you see this going on you just wonder, you know, it's more lip service than anything. and then if something does happen then you guys will take credit even though you didn't do a thing. >> michael posener. >> well, i don't accept that on a couple of levels. first of all, with respect to china, president obama did visit china recently and had a range of conversations both privately and publicly that addressed human rights issues. we continue to be concerned about the situation in tibet. we continue to be very concerned as well about the f

it also means iran. can the prime minister tell us how we will find a way to take a tough stance with iran while seeking to keep them engaged in securing peace in afghanistan? the centerpiece of the prime minister's announcement was its settlement ka settlement -- president karzia. what kind of steps is he taking to meet directly with local and provincial governments? we should not hold our breath for the president to change borrower on ways to succeed turning to the welcome delivery warhog vehicles, can he confirm that the snatch land rovers are no longer being used by any of our troops with -- and deployment in afghanistan? let me address the issue of troop deployments. it was the prime minister himself is said the deployment of any extra british troops would be conditional on other she refuses to tell us today exactly what other countries are sharing the burden. condition, will he now be clear and detailed in setting out what he expects, which nato countries are offering troops, when will they all arr

i think iran has never been so isolated really since the iran-iraq war.and the people who are running to the show, to the extent that anybody is running the show now, are veterans of that war and perhaps they identify with that period when iran was virtually alone. had one ally, syria, against the -- what seemed like the entire world against iraq, against the arab countries, against the west which were all in support of sdamsdam against iran. and perhaps in -- saddam hussein against iran. and perhaps in a way of people re-creating bad marriages. you go in and repeat the bad pattern. perhaps people are trying to go back to that time when iran was all alone, it was besieged and yet there was this revolutionary spirit. you see it on the campuses where they are trying to re-create this cultural revolution which took place in the early 1980's. you know this is an impossible task. it as iason pointed out, this third generation is very plucked in. iran has, what, 40% internet usage among the population. it's an extraordinary figure. it's the highest in the middl

to do vis-a-vis iran? do the have states differ among themselves and how to the communicate their views to the u.s. government? -- how do they communicate their views to the u.s. government? >> going back to the non- interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, the accent was on iran complying with a biting by all international instruments, treaties, and agreements to which it is signatory. . . >> we do not see iran striking back at china, russia, the united states or the european union. we see ourselves as the easy targets. we are opposed to anything that would accentuate a scenario whereby we could be the victims of any use of armed forces by israel or the he added states -- or the united states. at least two foreign ministers share this with me. one said that we committed differently. that is because of where we sit in our own has starkly different strategic relationship with iran. oman has a different view of this. one needs to understand the reasons why someone's you is different. it sits

allies who are dealing with iran.f the international unity. no country is going to be happy about having their company sanctions by the united states. secondly, it can be viewed as such a big escalation that the iranian retaliation will become equally big and the entire thing could get out of control and be in a negative dynamic which potentially could close the window for diplomacy. if the window for diplomacy is closed and sanctions don't work, which even the proponents of sanctions don't believe they'll work, then we may be facing a very, very negative scenario. host: on twitter, monty asked guest: well, some people in iran certainly have a view they're being punished. they believe that some of the rights that the entity states should enjoy are not being given to iran right now. and, for instance, when it comes to to research free arkt in tehran in which the interim deal is about, the iranian perspective seems to be that they believe that they are entitled to get collaboration from the international community becau

russia does business with iran. they are the largest seller of arms to iran. russia and china have blocked effective u.s. sanctions against iran. if you have the entire world with you, if everyone agreed to implement them and implemented them, you might have a good chance of sanctions working. we don't have that situation now. host: the decision to rebut the inspectors in iran as for the nuclear facilities factors into this? caller: the international atomic energy is the arm of the united nations which is supposed to be inspecting iran's plants. iran has taken steps in recent weeks to say it will reduce the ability of the agency to inspect its plants. there was an article this morning that says iran will build 10 new sites to enrich uranium. this is an outright violation of the u.n. security council resolution. those resolutions are important. they represent the entire world. they have the force of the u.n. and international law. countries that are members of the un, like iran, need to abide by these laws. i helped negotiate the loss for the united states. onc

and the same with regard to iran. but it also has to do with march 1975 and if i had to say one single agreement that is the strategic blue of all six of -- that is the strategic glue, it is the algiers accord of 1975 that took place in the echos and wakes and shad dose of western and increasingly american talk about doing the unthinkable of utilizing force and mobilizes and deploying force to the oil fields and the gas fields of the gulf because of the world economic situation and the oil embargo that had preceded it until march of 1974. the first article of what they agreed to in algiers in march 1975 was noninterference in one another's domestic affairs. if you can believe it looking in the rear-view mirror, saddam hussein and the sharif of iran signed that agreement and held to it solemnly for the first four years until khomeni returned to iran from paris in early february of 1979 and broke it from the first day and every day for the next 19 months before the iran-iraq war began. author: and that particular princi

iran has done it before, they ended the iran/iraq war when some hussein was still in power, and that is another reference point i think we have to keep in mind, but one thing that is worrisome to me, and it is worrisome when i listen to iason, and that is the mentality of this particular group. during the iran/iraq war, you had people who had visited the west. i remember interviewing one and about his visit and talking about his impressions of the state. one had lived in turkey, iran, -- turkey, iraq, france. many important figures in the revolution had been educated abroad, and you do not have that with this particular if cohort. there are people in the revolutionary guard, members of the force i have met who are relatively sophisticated, but their education comes from books. it does not come from on the ground experience in the west. and this is worrisome. it raises the possibility of this calculation, and one wonders how far iran will go before it will perhaps make a compromise -- it raises the m raises ofiscalculati -- it raises the possibility of m iscalculation. it is a difficu

he sent at least two letters to the supreme leader of iran.nge the image of the united states in dealing with countries like it. i think these countries are still pretty authoritarian. but in some cases we have seen some cracks. and i go back to the idea when the united states is no longer seen as the enam i am eemy it dissidents to protest. and even in north korea the government has had to apparently backtrack on currency reform because there's been -- there have been huge protest business people who are in private markets and who have amassed some foreign currency. and this is probably a first. i don't know that north korea has ever shifted policy because of a domestic situation. so, i think we have to give this policy a little bit more time. it maybe that the united states can't reach nuclear agreements with north korea and iran. but it may be there will be changes in the country to make it easier to live with them. host: as part of this process, it is war council as you wrote about levin of michigan, reed of rhode island and john kerry of

among those arrested are secretary-general of the freedom movement of iran.and the senior aid to defeated presidential candidate moussavi. >> state tv also reported eight people were killed in sunday's violence and another 300 to 500 detained. the opposition said police had opened fire on demonstrators. confirmation was impossible due to government cur b's on independent and foreign media. but much of the mayhem was recorded on mobile phones and disseminated via the internet despite iranian government efforts to block the transmission this utube video shows demonstrators clashing in the streets of tehran with police and the basij run by the revolutionary guard. >> another video purported to show a member of the basij surrendering to pro testers, overs showed a police station burning and demonstrators torching police motorcycles. all in all, it was the worst violence since the disputed election returned ahmadinejad to the presidency last june. among those killed yesterday was the nephew of mir moussavi, ahmadinejad leading challengers in the election. moussavi

it also means iran. can the prime minister tell us how we will find a way to take a tough stance with iran while seeking to keep them engaged in securing peace in afghanistan? the centerpiece of the prime minister's announcement was its settlement ka settlement -- president karzia. what kind of steps is he taking to meet directly with local and provincial governments? we should not hold our breath for the president to change borrower on ways to succeed turning to the welcome delivery of the mastiff, ridgeback and warhog vehicles, can he confirm that the snatch land rovers are no longer being used by any of our troops with -- in deployment in afghanistan? let me address the issue of troop deployments. it was the prime minister himself who said the deployment of any extra british troops would be conditional on other countries sharing the burden. he refuses to tell us today exactly what other countries are sharing the burden. since he has made that condition, will he now be clear and detailed in setting out

of iran.let me wrap up. game theory is a transparent form of logic that, with the data, can help to predict the future, not a pie in the sky claimed. it's been done. i've been doing it. others have been doing it for 30 years. it works. not everything is predictable, but an awful lot is predictable. i at least can't predict markets because my models are concerned with problems that involve the opportunity for negotiation in the face of the threat of coercion. and if you can predict, then there's a very good prospect you can find better solutions to problems that you can engineer. you can find better approaches that will change how other people perceive the situation. therein, change their beliefs and better outcomes. thank you very much. [applause] >> i am nancy jarvis at the world affairs council of northern california. speaking with bruce bueno de mesquita about his new book, "the predictioneer's game." it's now time for us to take questions from our audience. here's a great first question. m

iran? we're going to do both to the best of our ability to get a result that will further the cause we are seeking to support. >> one final question in the back. right there. with the red. >> thank you. i am wonder iing what you see t role of artists doing in helping to promote human rights? i had the privilege earlier this summer to hear a playwright lynn no nodidge speak after she advocated for women's rights in the congo, and i wonder how you see creative practice accompanying and amplifying policy. >> that is a wonderful question because i think the arts and artists are one of our most effective tools in reaching beyond and through repressive regimes in giving hope to people. it was a very effective tool during the cold war. i have had so many eastern europeans tell me that it was american music, it was american literature, it was american poetry that kept them going. i remember when a guest came to the white house during my husband's administration duringing a state dinner. i said, wel

efforts with respect to iran by expanding economic sanctions against iran. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. >> madam speaker, on that ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: so many as are in favor say aye, those opposed, no. the gentleman from california. mr. berman: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a suficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: the nays are 11. present are four. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the the speak

guest: i am no expert on iran, but it strikes me that iran is undergoing a very traumatic kind of internalto something keepsron d about negotiating on nuclear weapons, i'm not sure that there is anybody to negotiate with right now in iran. we have to negotiate with the government, but the government is a in a sense on the run. it seems to me to be a weak government that will not be able to negotiate. you will not have negotiators with any authority, i think. nonetheless, i think we have to keep trying, keep trying diplomatically with iran. i don't think that iran is necessarily a big, bad wolf. iran is a country in some difficulty right now, and we have to maintain a rather calm but i think a very steady approach towards it. >> other way, i think the caller might be interested -- guest: by the way, i think the caller might be interested -- the embassy has changed in lopper since you've been there, but some of the murals -- pitted some interesting art work in the basement. the caller used a number of acronyms that the audience might not be familiar with. irgc is the iran revolutionary guar

over iran's nuclear program. it's repeated missile tests and the fate of three american hikers who strayed across the border and are now facing trial for espionage. yet stability at home remains the regime's top priority. in a recent meeting with cleric, supreme leader ayatollah khammenei said the government will remain stable and the opposition will be destroyed before your days. but another man insists there are significant splits in the clergy and even in the revolution guard. do you think this opposition movement which you're helping to inspire as well, can real he'll bring down this regime? >> yes. i think so. while we are going ahead, we can see that many gaps in this society , generation gap, minorities gap, social class gap and the gap between knowledge and ignorance of the regime, knowledge of a nation and ignorance of a regime , they are big motivation for a nation to uprise for her rights. >> warner: opposition leaders say they plan to show their muscle again next sunday on the major shiite religious h

iran right now is in a real

of statements she's made about iran in the past,ç particularly statements aboutç obliterating iranadministration. guest: if i can add procedurally it would be easier bus the iranians sent members of their parliament to the united states. not for a while. and this would not convey an iranian recognition of the united states to have a member of our national senate go. host: barbara slavin with the washington times and author of "bitter friends and busom enemies." jonathan broder worked for the associated press, nbc news. senior editor of foreign policy. on to the phone calls. barbara from palm beach, florida. caller: i'm sorry, we are living in an age when we have to start thinking outside of the box. i know what i'm trying to say may sound a little radical but we've to face the fact that any figure for any other group who teaches from their religious book to go out and kill someone who is not of their situation, we have to have an international law that will be in force that these individuals themselves must be killed. they have to be taken out. it is like cutting out the cancer. as

>> you focus on iran. how diverse are the social classes in iran? >> well, again, when we think about iran, iran has a fairly vibrant middle class. there's been significant amount of economic privatization. it produced the middle class. it was tied to economic activity in the private sector. even though most of iran's economy is dominated by the government, still it's the large part of the middle class that is depends on private sector activity. it is that private sector and the middle class that is responsible for iranian cinema, for cultural activity, and demand for political freedoms and reforms. when we see iranians take to the streets demanding better results so they can elections or demanding political freedoms, these are people who also want integration into the world economy, better relations with the west, they want economic advancement, and so even the backbone of political change in iran is the middle class. >> how large is the middle class? >> well, in some countries they are larger and some are smaller. but in turkey, it's about 20 to 3

but for nowback to margaret. >> warner: now, weurn to the confntation in iran.the regime struck at its oppotion again today on the heels oyesterday's widespread bloodshe >at least seven leading reformctivists were rounded up today in iran. state sponsored press tv made he announcement. >> ports say several political fures have been arrested over sunday' unrest in iran. among the arrested are secretary-general of the freedom movemen ofiran. and the senior aid to defeated pesidential candidate mouavi. >> state tv aso reported eight people were kild in sunday's violenc and nother 300 to 500 detained. the opposition saidolice hadpened fire demonstrators. confirmation wasmpossible due to govnment cur b on independent and forei media t much of the mayhem was recded on mobile pnes and disseminated via the internet despite irann govement efforts to block the trsmission this utube video shows demonstrato clashing in the streetsof tehran with police and the sij run by the revolutiory guard. >>nother video purpored to show a member of the basij surrendering to pro testers,

to iran.ere are reports in 2004, there are photographic evidence there that he was there until 2009. how do you evaluate those reports to the islamic republic and perhaps his sojourn there? >> i want to be absolutely explicit. the last time we had a solid piece of information about where osama bin laden was, was eight years ago. we don't have a clue where he is today. bob gates asked this question in meet the press this week and he said it's been a few years. i'm a big fan of bob gates. he's been my boss in more organizations than i can remember. but i think he was being a little misleading. it's been eight years, mr. gates, since we had any idea where he was. has he been in iran? i don't rule out that possibility. al qaeda has been able to operate operational activity in iran on more than one occasion. we don't know what the relationship between the government of iran and that operational activity was. i would suggest to you that if the iranians want to give us trouble in the world in the nex

. >> to focus on iran in this book. helpless first or the social class is of iran?>> again when we think about iran we don't realize they have a very vibrant middle class. it's been significant amount of economic privatization in iran in the 1980's and 1990's. it produced the middle class tied to economic activity in the private-sector. even the most of iran's economies dominated by the government still there is a large part of the middle class that depends on private sector activity. it is that private sector and middle class and iran that is responsible for the cultural activity and demand for political freedoms and reform. when we see a iranian stick to the streets demanding better results for e elections and demanding political freedoms these are people who also want integration into the world economy, better relations with the west, they want economic advancement and even the backbone of political change in iran is the middle class. >> how large is this middle class? >> will win some countries they are large and some they are smaller but say countries like turk

this was in nrtheast iran. the fact that the protestors have no sgle leader or manifestis making it that much harder to stop them. >> the people werearned t to come out but they've overcome their fear. peop feel theyando something andhey don't want to give uphat they've started. >> rerter: in tehran the revutionary guards much-feared militia were filmedatroling on waves motorbikes andye witnesses said they ued ectrical truncnonnd stun guns to breaup t crowds. the state media coving thispro-government mch appeared short onetail on the das events. >> anwhile a number of anti-governmen protestors atempted to hijackthe occasion to hold rallies in tehran. their efforts wer foiled by the presence of security forces which were deployed in seral parts of the capitol. >> porter: there was no sign today of leading opposition figre hussein mosai but he issued a atement yesterday. they are asking us to forget about he election rests, he said. butven if you silence al the universies, what are you going do aboutthe ciety its

al qaeda has been able to operate in iran on more than one occasion.we do not know what the government relationship was. i would suggest to you that if the iranians want to give us trouble in the world in the next few years, one of the simplest ways for them to do it is to just allow a higher degree of al qaeda operational activity in their territory. since we have no baseline as to what they allow, more of it coming would be hard to judge in its significance. if the relationship between al qaeda and ron, it is a black hole. -- between al qaeda and iran. >> have a question about the syndicate of terrorist organizations including the caliban. there was not a single afghan on the plans for 9/11, as far as i know. -- on the planes. omar sending out information and is allowing [unintelligible] he is sending out messages. this -- he says we are not threatening everyone. why do not -- why do not give them a chance? >> there are several questions buried in that one question. first ago, those chosen by a osama bin laden chosen carefully. it was deliberate. he

government seemingly intent on bringing iran down on this particular issue. and meetings some of you who are in the government and who were then in the government you said and the same ones i sat in there where people on the nsc and elsewhere said no enrichment is to be allowed in terms of iran. we're already past that. way past that. and we're also past the mid-september deadline. but you see these several different ways of approaching the use of alternate energy fuels. the area between iran and kuwait is vast and yet to be discovered gas deposits. and qatar on its side is a gas-producer and gas exporter is looking for customers and kuwait is seriously leaning and inclined in that direction. >> i won't give you long to sit down. does the movement toward a common gulf currency also represent a step toward moving the gulf currencies away from being pegged to the u.s. dollar? >> the short answer is no. and so is the long one. but there's a context for this. four years ago at the summit in abu dhabi at the uae, inflation was rampant in the region. no dccc countr

you know, iran holds the key to peace in the middle east. you've got people in the streets, mostly students and i represent a family who had a very valiant brother who died, was tortured. his lips were scene shut, his eyes were sewn shut and he was killed fighting for freedom. the iranians are pro-american generally. they are contrary to radical arab states, they're persians. they are our natural allies. we put our resources in the wrong place. we put it into iraq. once we leave, it's vietnam all over again. if we could change leadership in iran and have responsible leadership that would end funding of terrorism, hamas, hezbollah, the taliban to a large extent in all of these other countries, that's the key to peace in the middle east. so, yes, we're spending this money elsewhere and losing lives elsewhere because we took off eye off the ball. if we had a free iran, we would have a safer middle east and a safer world. it's not an answer to get down on our knees faster than monica lewinsky to ahmadinejad in iran. it's not the way to win to ap

but they also discussed iran. because we expect that the iranian issue will be addressed in the eu council meeting. and there will be a brood discussion on next steps in that meeting. i also have an announcement regarding travel of undersecretary bill burns. he will travel to beijing december 8 and the 9. he will then travel to indonesia on december 10th and 11th, for consults with senior indonesian officials on expanding cooperation on areas of mutual interest as discussed during president obama's recent meeting the indonesia president. he will also lead the u.s. observer democracy forum, which is an important indonesian led initiative to promote reform throughout the region. and that's all that i have. i have your questions on this friday afternoon. >> about how long were the meetings that the secretary have? sounds like they couldn't have been very long. >> given the constraint of time, i think they all were fairly brief. somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes. >> what were the 25 countries that pledged troops? >> i

today, iran's foren minister announced plans r a trial. he did not s when, and he did not specify the chars. interrogation of the three amican citizens who had illegally entered iran with suspicious nameis ongog and they will be tried by iran's dicialary system and judicia verdictsegarding their case wilbe issued. >> sreenivasanrelatives of the ericans and the u.s. government have insisted ty were innocent kers who strayed ross the border. washington, secretary of state hillary clintodemanded their imdiate release. >> we nsider this a totally unfounded charge. there is no basis for it. the three young people who were detaid by the iranians ve absolutely no connection with any kind of acti against the iranian state or government. >> sreenivasan: iran's announcement today came the standoff oveits nuclear progm intensifies. thu.s. and other countries are talking of imposinnew sanctions. taliban attacks kied at least 16 police across theountry. e insurgents hit 2 checkpoin one in the nor, and one in the uth at approximately the sam time. the v

today, iran's foreign minister announced plans for a trial. he did not say when, and he did not specify the charges. >> interrogation of the three american citizens who had illegally entered iran with suspicious names is ongoing and they will be tried by iran's judicialary system and judiciary verdicts regarding their case will be issued. >> sreenivasan: relatives of the americans and the u.s. government have insisted they were innocent hikers who strayed across the border. in washington, secretary of state hillary clinton demanded their immediate release. >> we consider this a totally unfounded charge. there is no basis for it. the three young people who were detained by the iranians have absolutely no connection with any kind of action against the iranian state or government. >> sreenivasan: iran's announcement today came as the standoff over its nuclear program intensifies. the u.s. and other countries are talking of imposing new sanctions. taliban attacks killed at least 16 police across the country. the insurgents hit 2 checkpoints one in

secretary will be taking it forward but the prime minister has twice announced new sanctions against iran without them ever taking effect. and isn't it time now that the prime minister to ensure that an effective new wave of sanctions are set out including a ban on any new european investment in iranian oil and gas. the prime minister announced in the middle of last year and those sanctions that exist in the united states. so will she ensure as leader of the house that a statement will be made to parliament early in the new year by the prime minister or the foreign secretary what at this critical point this country and the european union and the united nations security council are prepared to do? >> well, indeed. the prime minister mentioned this in his statement following the european council and as leader of the house i make sure that the house is kept updated on this important issue. but how telling it is, mr. speaker, on this day, today is the day when we have seen employment rise. we've seen the number of people in work increasing. today's the day where we've seen the number of peopl

and the people in iran don't have that. so the young people have taken to the street, the sons of iran, the daughters of democracy, and protesting the oppressive government. they're protesting the fraudulent elections that got ahmadinejad elected last summer. they're protesting the fact that they have no freedom in their own country. and they have suffered the consequences for these protests. they have been beaten, they have been tear gassed, they've been hauled off to jail. the press has been oppressed as well. in fact, what has occurred, the internet has been closed. cell phones have been blocked. all in the name of preventing young people and others from protesting this oppressive regime. we all remember this past summer how numerous students were murdered in the streets just because they complained to their government about what was taking place. already 80 of those protesters, political prisoners, have been tried by the star chamber in secret away from anybody in a public trial and 80 of them have received sentences in

there have been reports that he has, if not stay in iran, going back and forth to iran.ce. the iranians had seen osama bin laden there. what are his ties to the islamic republic? >> i want to be absolutely explicit. the last time we had a solid piece of information about where osama bin laden was was eight years ago. we do not have a clue where he is today. bob gates asked this question on "meet the press," and said it has been a few years. i am a big fan of bob gates. he has been my boss and more organizations than i can remember. i think he was being misleading. it has been eight years, mr. gates, since we had any idea where he is. has he been in iran? i do not rule out that possibility. al qaeda has been able to operate -- operational activity in iran on more than one occasion. we do not know what the relationship between the government of iran and that operational activity was spurred i would suggest to you -- i would suggest to you that if the iranians want to give us trouble in the next few years, one of the simplest ways for them to do it is to allow a degree of a

>> again when we think about iran we don't realize iran has a vibrant middle class. there has been a significant amount of economic privatization in the 1980's and 1990's that produce the middle-class tied to economic activity of the private sector. even though most of by rand's economy is dominated by the government still there is a large part of the middle class that depends on the private sector activity. is that private sector in the middle class and iran responsible for cultural activity and demand for political freedoms and reforms. when amici iranians take to the streets demanding better results for the elections are demanding political freedoms these are people who also want integration into the world economy, better relations with the west and they want economic advancement so even the backbone of political change and iran as the middle class. >> how large is this middle-class? >> some are larger and some are smaller but say in countries like turkey, there are maybe 20 to 30% of the population. in pakistan or parts ten to 15% of the population. they are typi

the third state on the cusp it is iran. pursuing a nuclear program doubt they had a second uranium enrichment facility most knew that one year ago that the near times confirmed a few weeks ago they have a weapons design capability undoubtedly will test their relying on the first dupont weapons. when they do they will do so because it fits their political needs but that is a subject for another seminar but i will quote from "the washington post" a few months ago a crippling combination to diplomatic pressure, economic stations and military coercion offers the best prospects for controlling this kind of proliferation. we need to pay attention. that is a history. let's talk about the real world and the united states that did go nuclear. what can we learn from our experience? what is a history what happened to the nine states that did go nuclear? they all have an interesting story. the american a bomb develop them loss alamos. a good product absolutely not. the americans ran the cafeteria but the science was done by europeans.

is -- between the radiant states and iran, i think because iran is feeling frisky.even countries across the marra over to morocco expressed some concern over this. host: next call from michigan, go ahead. caller: with the situation between the taliban and the al qaeda in pakistan, should our country be concerned about al qaeda getting intense arm pakistan's nuclear-weapons? and if so, -- getting its hands on pakistan's nuclear-weapons? and if so, where are we -- why are we moving that arsenal out of that country? guest: i do not know that the pakistan government would allow it. pakistan, when we ask about this, assures us that they are divided of and that someone could not simply walk in and take one. as they face india, there is concern that they would be green these things together. these things are always most horrible when they are being transported. you are bringing together components in a moment of crisis and with the government is confused and so on. that is a difficult and worries some scenario. and in india, they have said, with the cannot allow these nucl

is -- between the radiant states and iran, i think because iran is feeling frisky. even countries across the marra over to morocco expressed some concern over this. host: next call from michigan, go ahead. caller: with the situation between the taliban and the al qaeda in pakistan, should our country be concerned about al qaeda getting intense arm pakistan's nuclear-weapons? and if so, -- getting its hands on pakistan's nuclear-weapons? and if so, where are we -- why are we moving that arsenal out of that country? guest: i do not know that the pakistan government would allow it. pakistan, when we ask about this, assures us that they are divided of and that someone could not simply walk in and take one. as they face india, there is concern that they would be green these things together. these things are always most horrible when they are being transported. you are bringing together components in a moment of crisis and with the government is confused and so on. that is a difficult and worries some scenario. and in india, they have said, with the cannot allow these nuc

new violence erupted in iran today.urity forces confronted supporters of the late grand ayatollah hossein ali montazeri, the country's most senior dissident cleric. we have more from jonathan rugman of "independent television news." >> reporter: these photographs of iranian riot police in isfahan appeared on the facebook web site today. as opposition groups claimed many protestors were injured and arrested during clashes involving batons and teargas, while iran's police chief warned of "fierce confrontation" unless the protests stop. in isfahan, one protestor dared to film this rally using a mobile phone. "death to russia!," the crowd shouted. a reverse of the usual "death to america" and a round about way of shouting down the iranian regime itself. in the capital tehran, though students were far more blunt. "death to the dictator!"-- their rallying cry in pictures posted on youtube today. but as iran's president confronts the biggest domestic >> sreenivasan: iran's state news agency denied the reports of clashes. inste

it is in his control what iran decides to do.one and the iaea, i think make it clear to the world what iran's attention -- intentions were. now they have to live up to those responsibilities, and if they fail to doç so, the international community will react accordingly. >> opec met today and decided to hold out. also, there is a strong message coming out with opec that they are comfortable with oil prices ranging between $70 and $80 a barrel. , i do not have any guidance on opec, but we will try to get some from energy and from an s c. yes, sir. >> once the senate passes health care, how does the presidency his role? is he going to be a bystander and sort of a cheerleader, or is he going to be up his elbows? >> again, i think year-old -- let me say one thing first. i am not going to get into what that conference, what those negotiations may look like. ççobviously we're hopeful thae bill will pass the senate prior to the senate leaving for christmas, whenever day they may decide that to be. i think the bill has, as you heard t

i have tried to go to iran since 1989 when the iran-iraq war ended. senator shelby and i got to iraq and met saddam hussein. as yet we have not had an interparliamentary exchange which i have sought for a long time with the iranians. it would be my hope that iran, for humanitarian reasons, would release these people and that we would exercise our best efforts -- the united states government -- working through syria or whatever other channel we could find to secure their release. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. a senator: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: before the senate now is the issue of funding our military, the department of defense appropriations bill. this is a bill that's critically important because it provides the funding that our men and women in uniform now risking their lives while we mee

has he been in iran? i do not rule out the possibility.ould suggest to you that if the iranians wanted to give us trouble in the world in the next few years, one of the simplest ways for them to do with is to just allow a higher degree of al qaeda operational activity in their territory freed since we have no baseline as to what they allow, it would be hard to judge if it is important or significant, where is all coming from. the relationship between al qaeda and iran is a black hole. >> the syndicated terrorist organizations -- the was not a single afghan on the plane for 9/11. there is the guy from call right now. mullah omar is allowing himself to use some things and he is sending out messages. they say, come and talk to me. why don't we give it a chance and see whether the strategy will work out tonight? >> there are some brokerage -- there are several questions buried in that one question. first of all, those chosen by osama bin laden to carry out the september of attacks were killed -- were chosen very deliberately. bin laden brillia