Witnesses at the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee said recent military operations have markedly reduced Iran's regional capabilities, but they cautioned the Iranian regime remains a persistent threat that will seek to reconstitute capabilities if pressure eases.

Former U.S. diplomat Brian Hook described a sequence of operations he said “neutraliz[ed] their nuclear infrastructure, military command, control sites, ballistic missile production, launch and storage sites,” calling those actions “an unparalleled success.” He argued the United States and its partners should sustain pressure so Iran’s oil revenue cannot finance proxies and reconstitution of nuclear-related programs.

Ambassador Dan Shapiro agreed strikes set back Iran’s program and its network of proxies, but he warned that “none of this means the threats posed by Iran and its proxies are eliminated.” He recommended renewing diplomatic and economic levers to consolidate gains: maintaining IAEA access, removing enriched uranium stockpiles, seeking limits on ballistic missiles, coordinating snapback sanctions, and reducing Iranian oil sales.

Committee members raised the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, militia threats in Iraq, and the need to maintain pressure on Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Shapiro and Hook both urged intensive Treasury and State Department actions to target revenue streams and front companies. Shapiro described “intense focus, and, day to day management by expert teams” at State and Treasury to deprive Iran of revenue.

Witnesses also discussed the blurred lines between space-launch technology and long-range missile delivery, with several senators and witnesses warning that Iran's space program can contribute to ICBM capability. Hook said Iran has long used its space program “as a cover for its ICBM program.”

Lawmakers and witnesses agreed that European partners’ willingness to consider snapback sanctions under the JCPOA and tighter coordination on oil interdiction would strengthen pressure on Tehran.