Johnny Olszewski Advocates For Use Of ‘Soft Power Programs’ To Dismantle Iran’s Nuclear Ambition

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During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) spoke about the need to implement soft power in combating Iran’s nuclear aims.

Transcript

00:00to do so. Is that okay? Thank you. Yes. Let me now recognize Mr. Olszewski of Maryland for five minutes.

00:08Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for your time and your testimony

00:12today. I'll just open by saying how much I firmly believe with a lot of what was said

00:17and how important it is for the U.S. to use all of the tools at our disposal to dismantle Iran's

00:23support for regional terrorism and its nuclear ambition. So thank you for your comments on that.

00:27We know that a strong Iranian sanctions regime, which I support and this administration has

00:32imposed, is critical to limit the revenue that Iran uses to fund its military and terror proxies in the

00:39region. However, we cannot forget about the other national security tools at our disposal, including

00:44both diplomacy and development, and that the U.S. has to comprehensively counter the regime's malign

00:51activities and hold them accountable for human rights violations. The use of force should

00:57be an option, but it should also be our last resort option. Again, we need a comprehensive

01:02toolbox to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear equipped and to address the root causes of these

01:08abuses. I support a zero-tolerance approach for attacks by Iran's proxies on the United States

01:16and our interests, but again, I also believe that any U.S. action must also be taken in accordance

01:21with the law and in ways that protects classified information and civilians overseas. It's also

01:27worth noting and reiterating that this administration's gutting of foreign assistance programs will only

01:33weaken that response. There was a program implemented by a non-profit back in my home state of Maryland

01:39and supported religious and minorities in northern Iraq, in part not to join Iran-backed militias. This project

01:47supported thousands of young Yazidis and Christians in a youth employment project to provide financial

01:52incentives not to join these armed groups. In its absence, we risk migration and radicalization,

01:58including, to these Iran-backed proxy groups. We know this program, unfortunately, is not a one-off,

02:05programs to strengthen local capacity and support ethnic and religious minorities in Yemen,

02:10Gaza, and Lebanon, where Iran-backed militias continue to hold military and political influence

02:15were cut. Iranian media even praised the pause because it would halt U.S. support for pro-democracy

02:22activists in the country. Other media compared it to a cold shower for the regime's opponents and

02:28joked that the U.S. was abandoning its allies like disposable tissues, quote, unquote. Ms. Stroll,

02:35can you talk about how these soft power programs, like those administered by USAID and the State

02:40Department, play an important role in America's response to Iran's activities around the world?

02:45How will Iran and their proxies be emboldened by these cuts? Thank you so much for this question.

02:51When we think about all of the different areas where Iran's threat network has been degraded,

02:58Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, to some extent Iraq, right now Yemen. What we need to think about is the other

03:05side of combat operations. And that's not just humanitarian aid, it's stabilization, reconstruction.

03:12Societies and communities need to have something on the other side in order to build up their resilience,

03:18to resist what the Iranians are going to do, which is try to rebuild their illicit networks for arming,

03:24funding, training both fighters and then weapon shipments, drug shipments, etc. So we have to

03:30give those communities resources to build up their resilience, and we have to give the emerging leaders

03:36of these nascent governments the opportunity to deliver for their people. And there I'm specifically

03:41talking about Lebanon and Syria. So the pause and dismantling of USAID is not just about the

03:47humanitarian aid being taken off the table, it's the non-humanitarian aid, the destabilization

03:52assistance. And then it's the decades of US investment in developing our technical expertise,

03:59our national security practitioners, our development and technical assistance providers,

04:04who understand that reconstruction and stabilization on the other side of conflict is inherently a political

04:10task, not a military task. Thank you so much for that response. And I'll just close without an

04:17additional question, recognizing that my time is winding down. But just reiterating what my colleague,

04:22Representative Keating honed in earlier, and just advancing my concern, Madam Chair, about the

04:29reckless use of platforms that are not secure. And in the sharing of very sensitive data, it is not a way

04:36to conduct military operations, nor diplomatic operations, nor to impose sanctions. And so I'm deeply

04:42concerned about the actions of some of our most highest ranking officials, and the fact there's

04:47been no accountability. And with that, I'll yield back. I'll yield back. Thank you. Thank you. Let me

04:51now recognize Mr. Baird from Indiana for five minutes. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank the witnesses for

04:59being here today. The expertise you share with us is very beneficial and very helpful.

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