Iran's threats to regional states, supplying Houthis with rockets, which are being fired at Saudi Arabia and its actions in Yemen and Syria will be met with more sanctions, US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said.
Ryan said the US vision is similar to that of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in regards to the Iranian threats to regional stability, and he stressed the compatibility of Washington's visions with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh on the need to root out the sources of terrorism.
“We are focused on the Iranian threat. This is existential threat to you, this is an existential threat to Saudi Arabia. And I want you to know that we see this issue the same way you do,” the top Republican in the US House of Representatives said.
Speaking at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy on Thursday, Ryan said the United States is taking concrete steps to rein in Iran expansion, including stopping them from establishing "Hezbollah" like organizations in the region, posing an existential threat to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Ryan said protests in Iran shows the regime has turned segments of Iranian society against them.
“Iran's regime is losing its hold on population,” he said, adding that Congress "will not remain silent about the plight of the Iranian people."
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives cited the resolution the House has taken early this month to support the Iranian demonstrations.
He said the United States stands with the Iranian people and their pursuit of justice, freedom and opportunity.
Ryan said the Islamic Republic was seeking to expand its influence in the region at the expense of staunch US allies like the UAE and Saudi Arabia and needed to be constrained by sanctions.
“Look at their violations of missile testing, look at what they’re doing in the region, look at what they’re doing in Syria, look at what they’re doing in Yemen,” Ryan said.
“There’s more that we can do from the economic side. We have the tools we can use along with our allies ... that’s the discussion we’re having about tightening up sanctions and trying to get Europe involved in that,” he added.
"The Iranians now have more than 49 million smartphones, which shows that they are beginning to understand what is going on around them in various world countries." He noted that the Iranian government is interested in financing terrorism abroad rather than achieving development for its people.
Ryan stressed his country's interest in protecting national security, establishing peace and preventing Iran from destabilizing the region and the world.
He expressed hope that the United States will have allies and partners in the region and the world, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, who share the same vision with the USA regarding different issues.
