During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) questioned Claire Jungman, the Chief of Staff at United Against Nuclear Iran, about ensuring Iran does not receive critical technology amid nuclear tensions.
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00:00...staining Iran, and by extension, Russia's ability to produce lethal weapons like the Shahad-136 drone.
00:10We have seen Iran use dual-use technology that is obtained from Europe, even the United States,
00:19through sanctions-busting architecture, to import this within its drone system,
00:27and to even use this within drones that it is sent to Russia for use against Ukraine.
00:34This is something that the U.S. law enforcement has worked against successfully in some cases for years.
00:40Iran has a robust sanctions-busting program in this regard,
00:44and Iran will continue to use this system to acquire technology that it can't produce at home.
00:53Mr. Youngham?
00:54I'm going to tackle this from a little bit of a different angle,
00:58and I think it's an area that hasn't had a lot of attention,
01:00but, you know, we've talked a lot today about the Dark Fleet and the Ghost Fleet.
01:03There's Western technology that's used on these vessels.
01:06Every ship, essentially, has some Western component on it.
01:09That's an area that could be looked at closer.
01:12I would associate myself specifically with Mr. Rule.
01:21The threat is the dual-use technology.
01:24So part of this is about sanctions and shining a light in exposure.
01:29It's also about education initiatives with the commercial sector
01:32so they understand the risk of both the legitimate uses of some of this technology
01:36and then the illegitimate and illicit ways in which a regime like Iran might use it.
01:41The next part of that is what steps can be taken to prevent Iran from procuring that critical technology.
01:53And, Ms. Jungman, you kind of started on that conversation, so please start.
01:59Sure.
01:59I think, as I've previously mentioned, there's still a number of Western entities
02:05that are involved in the maritime industry and these vessels,
02:10such as the classification societies, the flag states, and the insurance companies.
02:14You know, it's not enough to just designate the vessels themselves.
02:18The vessel will move to a new owner, a new company, and so on.
02:24So there needs to be a more comprehensive approach to targeting these vessels
02:29and their associated networks.
02:33Mr. Rule, we need to ensure that law enforcement partners in Europe and Asia
02:39are working closely with the United States and our Gulf partners
02:43to identify import actors in Iran who are attempting to bring in dual-use technology
02:50for Iran's military and security services.
02:59Ms. Travol?
03:01I have nothing to add.
03:02I think my colleagues did a great job answering the question.
03:05That's a good answer.
03:06One other area.
03:11Do you believe that the United States and its allies are focused enough
03:15on preventing the rebuilding of the Iranian proxy groups?
03:20And what more could we do if that's true?
03:26Mr. Rule?
03:27If there is a nuclear deal that provides Iran with sanctions relief
03:31that allows the Quds Force to rebuild Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis over time,
03:38we recreate the very world we have worked so hard to dismantle today.
03:43It is critical that any new nuclear deal simply does not allow the Quds Force to do this.
03:50And this, therefore, becomes a problem set.
03:52Do we come up with an approach that, as the international community,
03:57compel Iran to, in essence, change the nature of the Quds Force,
04:02to turn it into a counterterrorism element,
04:04which is something every country should have,
04:06and not an element that has the job of creating militias and terrorists?
04:11Until Iran does this, it is a terrorist nation.
04:17And I see I've only got 26 seconds left,
04:20and so I'm sorry to the other two, but I yield back.
04:26Let me now recognize Representative Schneider of Illinois.
04:2945 minutes.
04:30Thank you, Madam Chair, and again, I want to thank the witnesses for joining us here.
04:36So I keep this next to my desk.
04:39It is the JCPOA from 10 years ago.
04:41It's tabbed and marked and highlighted.
04:4510 years ago, I studied.