A Return to Maximum Pressure: Comprehensively Countering the Iranian Regime's Malign Activities
2025-04-01
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Source: Congress.gov
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Committee on foreign affairs will come to order ask buddy to rise and join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. As we open this hearing to outline maximum pressure on Iran, I'm going to deliver just a short message before I pass this gavel off to Mr. Lawler, who will actually be chairing this hearing, as he has a keen interest in the issues, as all of us do, and a firm knowledge in everything that we are about to discuss. And because I stole this hearing from him, he was going to do it at the subcommittee level. I thought it would only be right that he chair this committee, and so he will be doing that. But the message that I wish to deliver is this, and it's simply to Ayatollah Khamenei, And I would deliver this to you. President Trump will work with you to peacefully end your nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, or President Trump will destroy your nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program. You get to choose the remedy, Ayatollah.
I now pass the gavel to Mr. Lawler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The purpose of this hearing is to explore policy options to effectively curtail Iran's illicit revenue streams and address the nexus with Iran's malign activities, particularly relating to its sponsorship of terror proxies and nuclear weapons program. I now recognize myself for an opening statement. Good afternoon and again thank you Chairman Mass for putting on this hearing and to Ranking Member Meeks for presiding today. I also want to thank our witnesses for their expertise and their attention to this pressing matter. When President Trump left office over four years ago, the Iranian regime and its terror proxies were on their heels. The Trump administration's maximum pressure policy had devastated Iran's economy and denied the regime access to critical resources. Diplomatically, Iran was cornered and isolated like never before. The Abraham Accords saw Israel normalize relations with three Arab nations. It was a direct blow to Iran's influence and put the Middle East on a path towards unity against Tehran's aggression. Militarily, the message was unmistakable. The United States would not flinch. The decisive strike that took out Soleimani, Iran's mastermind of its terror proxies, crushed Iran's confidence and deterred provocations. By 2021, the Middle East stood on the brink of a new era of peace and stability. Iran was contained, its proxies weakened, and the region almost freed from the looming threat of Iranian terror. Enter Joe Biden. President Biden desperately tried to revive a dead nuclear deal with Iran.
Even as the regime continued to expand its nuclear program in violation of its non-proliferation treaty-related obligations, the Biden administration pursued deals that would have provided the regime with sanctions relief while also allowing it to continue to expand its enrichment capabilities, including with support from Russia. And when the Biden administration came up short on a nuclear deal, it pursued a misguided $6 billion giveaway to Iran. And less than two months later, Hamas, with support from Iran, launched the heinous October 7th terrorist attack on Israel. Under the last administration, we occasionally heard tough language, but that was rarely backed up with concrete action. This lack of resolve emboldened Iran and its proxies, offering them a free hand to escalate attacks against the U.S. and its partners and allies with few, if any, consequences. Under the Biden administration, Iran, China, and Russia joined forces to form an unholy alliance aimed at destabilizing the free world. Yet even as Iranian missiles and drones were targeting Israel, fueling Putin's illegal war of aggression, against Ukraine and being used to threaten U.S. service members, the Biden administration did little to prevent the lapse of the UN's missile embargo on Iran in October 23. As a result, Iran now has a free hand to proliferate its missiles and long-range drones unchecked. Joe Biden's foreign policy decisions in the Middle East were ill-conceived, disorganized and at times fatal, including for U.S. service members, as we tragically saw at Tower 22 in Jordan. And in the end, he left the world more volatile and less safe than he found it. It's clear that the Biden administration's blatant refusal to enforce sanctions against Iran contributed to instability across the region. and the globe. Under his administration, we witnessed an unprecedented trade in illicit oil between Iran and China, opening a lifeline for the IRGC to fund its malign activities.
And it didn't work. Appeasing terrorists does not work. And that is why I'm pleased that President Trump has since put U.S. policy towards Iran back on track, restoring the much needed and most effective maximum pressure campaign. since taking office just over two months ago. The Trump administration has made great strides to implement an aggressive and comprehensive Iran policy that restores much needed deterrence. This is a welcome change from the days of hand-wringing we saw under President Biden, whose policy towards Iran was all carrots and no sticks.
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