Iran International
Iran must agree to end all uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal or be prepared to face attack, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler told Eye for Iran.
“Iran is not going to win this,” said Lawler during the podcast. “The sooner they come to that realization and acceptance, the better the outcome will be for everybody.”
“If Iran doesn’t comply, then action will have to be taken,” he added.
Despite his hardline stance, Lawler supports diplomacy before war.
“It would be foolish not to try diplomacy first.” Invoking Reagan’s "trust but verify" adage, Lawler said diplomatic engagement was a tool to avoid war and not a sign of weakness.
Oil sanctions
The New York representative is one of the Congress's most vocal advocates of stepping up pressure on Tehran. He recently co-sponsored bipartisan legislation targeting China’s purchase of Iranian crude oil—part of a legislative package responding to Iran’s direct military attacks on Israel last year.
Lawler sees Iran’s oil trade—particularly with China—as the Islamic Republic's financial lifeline.
The Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 targets Chinese purchases of Iranian crude oil and cracks down on facilitators like banks and insurers.
“They (Iran) have been the greatest sponsor of terrorism around the globe,” Lawler said. “Their funding stream comes in large measure from the petroleum industry and the illicit oil trade with China. China purchases the vast majority of Iranian petroleum—amounting to a $200 billion revenue increase under Joe Biden’s watch.”
Lawler praised Trump's current strategy, calling it "night and day" compared to that of his predecessor.
Separately on Thursday, President Donald Trump declared that all purchases of Iranian oil or petrochemical products must cease, warning that any buyers would be subject to secondary sanctions. “They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Timing of talks is justified
Lawler also rejected criticism from some Iran hawks that the Trump administration is negotiating too early and giving away leverage.
With Iran’s nuclear capabilities more advanced than in years past, he said the urgency is warranted.
“We’re in a different world. Iran is further along today than they were four years ago or eight years ago,” he told Eye for Iran. “So I don’t know how much longer people want to wait.”
That urgency, however, now faces a new obstacle. The fourth round of US-Iran nuclear talks, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, has been postponed for reasons still unknown.
Lawler, who represents a district with a significant Persian community, said many of his Iranian-American constituents support a tougher US stance.
You can watch the full interview with Congressman Lawler on YouTube or listen on any major podcast platform like Spotify, Apple, Amazon or Castbox.
