Elections. Unfortunately for the iranian people, the real election took place in secret long before any ballots were even cast. This is how it is been for the last 41 years and iran. The regime denies the iranian people of Representative Parliament by predeciding who is qualified to run for office. Today the Top Administration is taking action told the Iranian Regime accountable. Im announcing that the United States is sanctioning five senior regime officials under executive order 13876. The five officials been designated today have denied the iranian people free and fair parliamentary elections. This includes the secretary of Guardian Council as well as a Senior Member of the council and former head of irans brutal judiciary. We are sanctioning three other officials who serve on the Guardian Council Central Committee for election supervision. Together, these five officials oversee a process that silences the voice of the iranian people, curtails their freedom and limits their political participation. In the iranian wants to run for office must first be approved by the Guardian Council and its committee for election supervision. Guardian council is led by group of 12 unelected clerics and socalled legal experts. They decide who gets on the ballot. They are the ones who really get to vote in iran. For the elections tomorrow, the council denied or than 7000 candidates the right to participate in the election. They also disqualified 90 sitting members of Irans Parliament for running for reelection. The chairman of the Guardian Council is a 92yearold cleric. He joined the council in 1980 and became chairman in 1988. So for the last 40 years he has been busy deciding who iranians get to vote for. And in 2010 when iranians protested the sham election, he praised the regime for executing protesters. The urge more executions until the protests stopped. He is also well known for wishing death to america and israel whenever the occasion presents itself. Hes a big part of the reason why the Iranian Regime is the worlds leading state sponsor of antisemitism. He is not well known to american and european media because the regime doesnt want him to be well known. That would be bad marketing. But the people of iran know him quite well and clerics like him are why the regime is facing a crisis of credibility and legitimacy at home. The iranian people know that tomorrows election is political theater. It is a republic in name only. When the government disqualifies half of the candidates running for office. Millions of iranians have decided to stay home. They know they dont have a genuine site in the process. They are asking for a free and fair process where they can share their views openly without the fear of being marginalized or massacred. The United States will continue to expose iranian officials who use their authority to abuse the rights of the iranian people and denied them their basic freedoms. This regime should respect the aspirations of its people for representing government give them a real choice at about box. It is worth noting that while the reigning regime increases its oppression of home, if you continue to spend the iranian peoples money on complex abroad. Instead of cutting gas subsidies to iranians, maybe the regime should cut missile subsidies to the houthis, but i would not hold your breath. Just a few weeks ago the United States navy interdicted a large cache of iranian weapons headed to the houthis. The seizure included 150 iranian made antitank missiles as well as three iranian designed and manufactured surface to air missiles. There were also iranian made optical sights and components for the houthis to assemble numerous waterboard improvised explosive devices. These weapons pose a very real threat to commercial navigation and freedom of navigation in the red sea. This interdiction was preceded by another large interdiction in november in which the u. S. Navy seized shipment of advanced iranian weapons and iranian weapon components destined for the houthis in yemen. Including the same types of antitank missiles and surfacetoair missiles that were seized just a few weeks ago. I United Nations report released in january examined these and other weapons seized in previous transfers to yemen and found that they were likely manufactured and iran. Irans ongoing transfer of weapons to the houthis violates multiple u. N. Security council resolutions. These successful operations by the United States are exposing irans duplicity in yemen. While the regime claims that it supports a diplomatic solution to the conflict, its Actions Prove otherwise. Guided missiles and revised explosive devices are not the tools of diplomacy. They are the weapons of war. And that what iranian brings to the table. United states will continue to stand with our partners in the region to counter irans light activity. This includes with saudi arabia which is on the front lines of irans proxy war in yemen. Today secretary pompeo is in riyadh where he will meet with king salon, crown prince, foreign minister faisal and other senior officials to discuss the iranian threat. The secretary visited the airbase earlier today. That base is currently hosting american troops. Our joint presence there with saudi arabia forces underscores americas commitment to deterring iranian aggression and collaborate collaborating with our partners to enhance the region defense architecture. As we were close with our partners in the region we are also working with our allies around the world to counter iranian arms shipment and missile proliferation. The International Community should apply more pressure on iran until it stops providing arms, training, and something to proxy groups in the gray zone. This includes by acting to extend the u. N. Arms embargo on a rant which under the iran deal expires in october. Lifting Security Council restrictions on irans ability to provide weapons to terrorist groups or malicious will undermine peace in the region. It will embolden iran, allow it to grow its arsenal further and deepen its role in ongoing conflicts. Happy to take a few questions. Yeah, so on todays sanctions, these guys have never been or not under current sanctions . No, theyre not. How has that happened . The president signed in june of last year and executive order that impose sanctions on the Supreme Leader and the Supreme Leaders office. And so we have used that authority a number of times. It was under the authority that we are able to target a number of officials including the head of the irans judiciary, and the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. We have been making good use of this new authority so we designate those in the past. We have now added five today. Eases sanctions are the same, asset freezes . Yes. These guys dont have any assets, right . Do you know that . I dont know, but its pretty safe assumption that a 92yearold head of the Guardian Council does exactly have a citibank account. Well, i rains have assets around the world and so were those assets are located on anybody who has the assets should freeze them. Can ask on the embargo situation . Are you now saying what youre trying to do is just extend the embargo and not go for step back . As youre well aware there was growing impatient among certain people in this town who are not well dispose of the nuclear deal, and patients that you guys are not trying to invoke or not yet willing to step back all of the u. N. Sanctions. So my question is, is that still an option . Invoking step back. Or are you just looking to extend the arms embargo . Even before the europeans had announced that they would be doing the mechanism we already begun notifying publicly the dangers of letting this expire. And so our decision on this to renew the arms embargo, the need to renew it predates the eu. I wouldnt necessarily connect those. What i say to you your question, what the president said in early january that he would like to see the members of the Iran Nuclear Deal join our effort and leave the deal, and then join our effort to get a new and better deal that will address not just the Nuclear Program but also a missiles and the region aggression and hostagetaking. And so now that iran has while the nuclear deal i think five times now, that caused the europeans to invoke the dispute resolution mechanism, there isnt much left of a deal to reserve. Its going to start expiring in october and the regime has violated it many times. We are enjoying some very good success with our Foreign Policy denying the regimes of money that it needs to fund its proxies at the levels they are accustomed to and to fund its own operations. So we think that more nations should join our Foreign Policy and the president s call for that. Thank you. When you say the elections been decided in secret the last 41 years, do you have tangible evidence of that box with this include also like what modern president . If theres any specific evidence about this current election, i know its not [inaudible] well, the Guardian Council is been disqualified, this is not the first time the Guardian Council disqualified candidates. This has been with the been doing for several years. Jannati determines the people that i rains get to vote for. This is by name and Islamic Republic and yet they disqualify half of the people who want to run for its parliament. Its article six of the constitution that sets forth that the countries affairs must be administered by reliance on a public vote and through elections. But you cant truthfully call the elections when half of the people want to run our disqualified by an unelected few. So we are, i i ran like to sorf have it both ways. They like to run this theocratic, corrupt, religious mafia running a country, but they like to present it to the world as a republic. This is largely the role that zarif plays for the regime. It was interesting to note i did this Google Search last night and under jannati you get about 69,000 search results and under zarif you get over from you. This is a way the regime likes it because it likes to present a phase of the regime that is very pleasing to western audiences but the beating heart of the regime are men like jannati. Can ask about the committed n channel you guys have announced a while ago arts you said at the time that you are talking to other companies and countries. Have been any further shipments . Has anybody else used that channel to send medicine and other supplies to iran . We were able to get the first transaction to a few weeks ago when we were very pleased to do, getting in catch treatment drugs. I talked about that here from the podium. We have at least two more companies that were in specific talks with. We wanted to take advantage of the earlier transaction as soon as possible to test the channel, make sure it was working and then now that i think as more companies are learning about it, medical companies and drug companies, pharmaceutical companies, theres not a lot of interest in using that channel. I i had a meeting last week at treasury with the deputy secretary to talk to how we are doing on the next transactions so were going to continue working very closely together, and you will see more transactions coming. How did you do the meetings that members of congress and former officials hold with iranian officials like former minister zarif . Second, foreign minister zarif as that iran will not negotiate until the u. S. Lifts sanctions, and today you are imposing new sanctions. The secretary has spoken about this, i believe the president has also spoken about it. On the first question is nothing to read beyond what they have said. On speed speeded do you deal wh helpful for the strategy, strategy of this the secretary spoke about it yesterday. What was the second question . On iran foreign minister statement that iran will not negotiate before thats the choice their meanings can make. Thats the choice they have been making since beginning of this administration. Theyve been rejecting the diplomat offramp this administration has offered for the last 2 years. Its not just the United States the reject. They rejected the diplomatic efforts of president macron, Prime Minister abe, a number of countries have worked to try to get iran to choose a better path, to work with the United States to resolve our differences diplomatically. The regime seems to be committed to using military force to resolve our differences diplomatically. So our policy is very clear on that with respect to come together. The president said he will not pay for a meeting. So he has said repeatedly he will not be sanctions relief for a meeting. There are a lot of benefits that the president and secretary of state have made clear once we can get to a full and comprehensive agreement with the regime. But weve got to see change in behavior for that to happen. President rouhani last weekend said they will not come to the table unless United States pressure campaign. I want your comment on this. I think its a variation of what he just asked, but we have been running the same strategy since 2017 on iran. It has three components. Its denying the regime the revenue it needs to fund its revolutionary Foreign Policy and to fund its proxies. To help restore deterrence, and standing with the iranian people. And so we are executing a strategy on a daily basis, and very please with the results we have had. During that entire time we have made clear that we are very repaired to talk, but the regime has decided to choose a different course. We are in no hurry. We have plenty of time. So the regime just has to be psycho this is what the secretary offered in may of 2018 in the speech, said the regime can either behave like a normal nation or a can watch its economy collapse. And they of chosen to manage collapse. Do you think the new parliament, when it is needed after tomorrows election, the matter what its maker, the matter if its a little more are way more conservative than the current makeup of an effect of what diplomacy is . I doubt it because the day after the Supreme Leader is still going to be in charge. The Supreme Leader is the Supreme Leader for a reason. It is, i think other administrations have gotten a little bit too preoccupied this interest in identifying the moderates in the regime. And i think that can lead to some very bad policymaking. And so we judge the regime on the basis of what it does, and not on the basis of who may or may not have influence within the government. It is a violent revolutionary expansionist regime, and it is the principal driver of instability in todays middle east. We have put in place a Foreign Policy that reflects this reality. And the match matchless now the disqualified in of the moderates would like to run it even if you do have, the Supreme Leader gets to decide everything. We dont get distracted by this question moderates and hardliners. If you are in the regime, you are a hardliner. Thank you for doing this, brian. Elliott abrams has said sanctions against venezuela are roughly at the halfway point. Where are sanctions could you do a similar assessment on iran . Do you still have a long list of groups and people you could still sanction or where are you . Theres always plenty of targets. Iran is very dynamic in it sanctions of asia. They are very good at setting up Front Companies and so we are always monitoring that. We update our sanctions on a very regular basis. Also, secretary pompeo is deeply committed to sanctions enforcement, and that is as important as the designation as enforcing it. We still are seeing a few hundred thousand barrels a month going to china. We have now sanctioned chinese individuals and entities three separate times. We would like to see that number get to zero so we will continue working hard on sanctions enforcement. We continue to look for ways to deny the regime the revenue it needs, whether its on crude oil, petrochemical, and optiol metals, precious metals, targeting individuals and entities. When we sanction somebody like jannati where elevating his profile in the world so that people understand, the people that hide in the shadows behind the Supreme Leader but are really in fact, in charge of the country. Theyre much more in charge and much more representative of the country that its foreign minister. Sanctions other practical effect of the also have a symbolic effect. Because if we dont sanction these people, it sends a message. Its a message of silence or looking the other way. As i said we stand with the reigning people. We to elevate a lot of these people in sort of the consciousness of the International Community. We will be one more. Do one more. The signals from around was that would shut that any negotiations about americans held there are pressures or anything like that. Has there been any kind of increased communication . Is that still the case . Can you talk at all about what efforts are being cut and if that strike is still impacting the ability for us to get other americans out of iran . Well, we were able to do one exchange in november, and we did it without sanctions relief, without a pile of cash and without a change in policy. So we think theres always an opportunity to try to get americans out, regardless of the circumstances. I work on a daily basis to try to get the remaining americans out of iran who are wrongfully detained. I cant speak to the specifics of it, but but i work on a daiy basis on this. We have five americans that are still in iran, wrongfully detained. Im going to be doing, youll be seeing something fairly soon, Start Talking more about their plight and about how these are all wrongfully detained. I speak on a regular basis with the families who are suffering. And iran has been condemned by United Nations and other countries for this practice of hostagetaking. It is a tragedy. I was able to see recently and it was very gratifying. We need to see more people come home. Thank you very much. Thank you. This here looking into chinas ability to project its military power and influence in other countries taking a break now for lunch. Are you today we heard from the Deputy Assistant secretary of defense for china and will continue hear from members of the u. S. , China Economic and security review commission. This series expected to resume at about 1250 thymic eastern and we will have live coverage right here on cspan2 when it resumes. This week where featuring tv programs showcasing whats available every weekend on cspan2. Enjoy booktv this week and every weekend on cspan2. Cspan, your unfiltered viw of government. Created by cable in 1979 and brought to you today by your television provider. Once again we are live on capitol hill for hearing examining chinas ability to project its military power and influence in other countries. We will continue to do for members of the u. S. China economic and security review commission. Live coverage here on cspan2. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] welcome back to the afternoon. Our second panel, really the first afternoon panel, will explore the development of chinas expeditionary capabilities, including the las efforts to improve its Logistics Organization and expand its access to overseas bases. Were going to first hear from mr. Chad peltier. He is Senior Analyst and consultant at james, and hes the
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