Please urge your members of Congress to speak out for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and to call on Secretary Clinton to immediately take every step necessary to defuse tensions with Israel. The Obama administration’s recent statements regarding the U.S. relationship with Israel are a matter of serious concern. The administration should work closely and privately with our partner Israel, in a manner befitting strategic allies, to address any issues between the two governments.

The House and Senate have resoundingly passed landmark Iran sanctions bills that include the threat of tougher sanctions if Iran rejects U.S. overtures and continues to enrich uranium in defiance of the international community.

The House passed H.R. 2194, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA), which would limit Iran's ability to import and produce refined petroleum products by requiring the president to impose sanctions on companies helping Iran in these areas. The Senate passed the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (S. 2799), which includes the IRPSA measures and other key sanctions provisions.

The House legislation was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and is based on a previous Iran sanctions bill introduced in 2007 by Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Robert Andrews (D-NJ). The Senate bill was introduced by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL).

Please thank your House member for supporting IRPSA and your senators for supporting the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act.