Incoming Democratic Rep. Adam Hamawy of New Jersey repeatedly refused to label Iran an American adversary during a tense CNN interview Tuesday, instead blaming the United States and Israel for the ongoing war with Tehran.
The exchange unfolded as CNN anchor Pamela Brown pressed the newly elected congressman on his foreign policy positions, including his opposition to American military assistance for Israel.
Hamawy, a former Army combat surgeon who won his congressional race last week, argued that Washington should prioritize diplomacy rather than military confrontation with the Iranian regime.
But when Brown asked whether he considered Iran an adversary of the United States, Hamawy declined to answer directly.
“We push[ed] them into a fight. And so I think we both have to step back and say, ‘Is this helping either one of us?’” Hamawy responded.
Brown pressed the Democrat again, seeking a clearer answer about the country currently fighting American forces.
“We’re making adversaries when we should be making friends,” Hamawy replied.
The CNN host then reminded him that Iran’s leadership has spent decades promoting anti-American rhetoric, including chants of death to America, while Iranian-backed groups have been responsible for killing U.S. service members.
Hamawy responded by drawing comparisons between the actions of Washington and Tehran.
“We’ve been saying death to Iran for decades as well,” he said. “And so what we need to do is use diplomacy.”
“We’ve killed a lot of them as well.”
The exchange highlighted a disagreement over American foreign policy as President Donald Trump‘s administration pursues negotiations aimed at ending the Iran conflict.
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Hamawy also accused Israel of helping push the United States into the war, while declining to clearly identify the Jewish state as an American ally.
The incoming lawmaker argued that military action has made Americans less safe and created unnecessary economic consequences.
He maintained that diplomatic and economic pressure could provide a more effective path toward preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Hamawy also acknowledged that Iran’s government is authoritarian and repressive, making clear that his opposition to the war does not amount to an endorsement of Tehran‘s leadership.
Nevertheless, his reluctance to describe Iran as an adversary drew attention because of the Islamic Republic’s longstanding hostility toward the United States and its support for armed groups across the Middle East.
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The interview also revived scrutiny of Hamawy’s background.
The New Jersey Democrat previously worked as a combat surgeon and volunteered at a hospital in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war in 2024.
During his congressional campaign, questions emerged about his involvement with the Benevolence International Foundation in Bosnia during the 1990s.
The organization was later identified by the 9/11 Commission as having secretly provided support for terrorist activities connected to al-Qaeda.
Hamawy was never implicated in wrongdoing involving the organization.
His past interactions with Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the radical Islamic cleric known as the Blind Sheikh, also received attention during the campaign.
Abdel-Rahman was convicted in 1995 of participating in a terrorist conspiracy targeting New York City landmarks.
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Hamawy had previously testified in the cleric’s defense and disputed the interpretation of certain statements attributed to him.
Those historical associations have resurfaced as Hamawy prepares to enter Congress, although they do not establish that he supported terrorist activity.
The Democrat’s latest remarks also bear similarities to comments made by Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who faced questions during his campaign about whether Israel or Iran posed a greater threat to American interests.
Hamawy secured his seat in last week’s midterm elections, succeeding retiring Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.
He is set to become New Jersey’s first Muslim member of Congress when the new legislative session begins in January.
His CNN appearance offered an early look at the foreign policy positions he intends to bring to Capitol Hill as Democrats prepare to assume control of Congress.
While Hamawy insisted that diplomacy should take priority over military confrontation, Brown’s repeated questions underscored the unresolved issue at the center of the interview.
The incoming Democratic congressman would not explicitly describe Iran as an American adversary, even after being confronted with the regime’s history of anti-American threats and attacks.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
