A peaceful solution to the Iran problem

Iran continues to pose a major threat to Israel and the stability of the entire Middle East.

Despite years of U.N. pressure. Iran refuses to give up its nuclear program.

We cannot afford to continue to rely only on the U.N. It's had years to deal with Iran and have achieved little to no success.

Likewise a military attack on Iran is a fantastically bad idea and must be avoided.

Fortunately Congress is currently debating a third option provided courtesy of Congressman Mark Kirk.

The Kirk plan, which already had wide bipartisan support, would cut off the import of all refined petroleum products into Iran.

It may seem unbelievable Iran needs to import more than half of its refined gasoline, despite the fact that Iran is one of the largest oil producers in the world. Cutting off Iran's gasoline would force their leaders to the negotiating table and finally end their nuclear program.

A bill implementing Kirk's ideas already has 169 cosponsors, nearly half of them Democrats.

It has such a wide base of support because it is an elegant and peaceful solution to a problem that seemed unsolvable.

Kirk continues to be a leader on Middle East policy and we cannot afford to lose his principled, independent voice in Congress.

Kory Li

Buffalo Grove