U.S. Congress members reaffirm the necessity of preventing Iran and its proxies from imposing their terms on international waters

Washington, Jan 9 (KUNA) — Members of the U.S. Congress stressed on Tuesday the necessity of ensuring that Iran and its proxies are not empowered to impose their conditions on international waters. This came during a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, titled “Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea.”

Republican Representative Mike Lawler, who chaired the hearing, stated that Iran “has armed, funded, and trained the Houthis, enabling them to attack Americans, threaten our partners, and disrupt global trade.” Lawler emphasized that “we must dismantle the networks that support these terrorists and ensure that Iran and its proxies cannot dictate who has the right to navigate safely in international waters.”

For his part, Democratic Representative Bill Keating noted that the abolition of the U.S. Presidential Envoy to Yemen position diminishes the United States’ ability to influence the situation in that context. Keating argued that “we lack the sufficient capacity and resources (to address the Yemen file), and therefore U.S. diplomats are ineffective in that region.” (End) R.S.R. / R.J.