Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said Wednesday that mounting financial pressure on Iran and a sustained campaign against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are critical to bringing stability to the Middle East, while arguing that threats alone will not persuade Tehran to negotiate.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Bianca Across the Nation," Fallon said Iran is facing a worsening financial crisis as disruptions to its oil exports reduce a key source of revenue.
"Iran is in huge financial trouble," Fallon said. "They're not going to be able to pay their IRGC members really, in short order."
The IRGC is an elite branch of Iran's military that wields significant political, military and economic influence within the country.
Fallon said roughly 100 ships normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day but claimed traffic has fallen to about 10. He said he was confident President Donald Trump and the U.S. military will continue limiting Iran's ability to export oil.
"I have full confidence and faith in President Trump and the United States military to deny Iran export markets to export oil," Fallon said. "They're not going to be able to fund their war and their ambitions much further."
Asked whether Trump's threats to target Iran's power plants and bridges would force Tehran back to the negotiating table, Fallon said he does not believe such warnings alone will change the regime's behavior.
"I don't think the threat will," Fallon said. "It's because the IRGC has never been negotiating in good faith."
Instead, Fallon argued that weakening the IRGC is essential to achieving lasting peace.
"I've been saying this for several months now that in order to get peace with Iran and in the region, the IRGC needs to be broken," he said.
"They are zealots, they are radicals. And they're terrorists, in and outside of Iran. They are ones that you cannot trust. And we need to break their back, period."
Fallon also warned that the IRGC is willing to sacrifice Iran itself to remain in power.
"The problem with the IRGC, they are perfectly fine with that country being reduced to ashes, so long as they can rule over those ashes," he said. "That's a scary prospect."
He said lasting regional stability would require Iran's government to "throw off the shackles of the IRGC and negotiate in good faith."
Fallon also suggested Iranian leaders are closely watching U.S. politics ahead of the midterm elections and may delay negotiations in hopes that political pressure builds on the Trump administration.
"Iran is watching it as well and thinks that they can delay and stall," Fallon said. "This will be part of the political pressure for President Trump."
He added that Trump has discussed alternative energy transportation routes to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, saying such efforts are already underway.
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