WASHINGTON, New Jersey Rep. Adam Hamawy repeatedly refused to describe Iran as an American “adversary” during an interview with CNN, instead faulting the Trump administration for pushing the Islamic Republic into war, as reported by The New York Post.

Hamawy, a New Jersey Democrat and former combat surgeon, called for the conflict in Iran to end. His answers came after CNN anchor Pamela Brown directly questioned him about whether Tehran should be considered an adversary.

“We pushed them into a fight. And so I think we both have to step back and say, ‘Is this helping either one of us?'” Hamawy replied.

Brown pressed Hamawy again, but the incoming congressman still would not use the term. “We’re making adversaries when we should be making friends,” he said.

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Brown pointed to Iranians chanting “Death to America” and killing Americans for decades. Hamawy responded by accusing the United States of engaging in similar rhetoric against Iran and again called for diplomacy.

“We’ve been saying death to Iran for decades as well,” Hamawy shot back. “And so what we need to do is use diplomacy.”

Hamawy also accused Israel of pushing the United States into war with Iran when he was asked whether the Jewish state is an American ally. The interview therefore produced no direct declaration from Hamawy that Iran is an adversary or that Israel is an ally.

Insane exchange. Newly elected Democrat Adam Hamawy refuses to call Iran an adversary.

BROWN: Do you see Iran as the adversary? HAMAWY: "We pushed them into a fight" BROWN: But are they the adversary? HAMAWY: "We should be making friends" BROWN: They've been saying "death to America" for decades HAMAWY: "We've been saying 'death to Iran'" BROWN: They've killed a lot of Americans HAMAWY: "And we've killed a lot of them" BROWN: So you don't see Iran as an adversary? HAMAWY: "I see that we are pushing Iran into a fight" — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 10, 2026

His answers resembled those given by Sen. Abdul El Sayed, a Michigan Democrat, during a debate the previous month against Republican Mike Rogers. El Sayed refused to say whether Israel or Iran posed the greater threat to the United States.

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Hamawy easily won his race last week to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, another New Jersey Democrat. He became the first Muslim from New Jersey elected to Congress.

During the campaign, Hamawy faced scrutiny over past affiliations with people and organizations tied to radicalism. Those relationships included his work decades ago with the Benevolence International Foundation and his contact with Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, known as “The Blind Sheik.”

In 1994, Hamawy, a trained plastic surgeon, interned for the Benevolence International Foundation in Bosnia. The organization is now defunct, and the 9/11 Commission Report described it as an “impressive array of offices [that] covertly provided financial and other support for terrorist activities.”

Authorities later found letters from al-Qaeda leaders, weapons, a photograph of bin Laden, documents concerning al-Qaeda operations, and other materials during a raid on the foundation’s offices. The offices were believed to have helped the terrorist organization establish a “base for operations in Europe.”

Hamawy was never implicated in wrongdoing involving the Benevolence International Foundation. His campaign also emphasized his service as a combat surgeon for the United States military.

Hamawy additionally had ties to Abdel Rahman, who died in 2017. Abdel Rahman was convicted during the middle of the 1990s on terrorism charges for allegedly promoting a “war of urban terrorism” against the United States following the crackdown after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Hamawy and Abdel Rahman met in the early 1990s and later took a road trip to Detroit. According to a court transcript, Abdel Rahman allegedly spoke during the trip about “conquering the land of the infidels.”

Hamawy testified in Abdel Rahman’s defense during the trial and maintained that the remarks had been taken out of context. His role as a defense witness became another point of scrutiny during his congressional campaign.

More recently, Hamawy volunteered at a hospital in the Gaza Strip in 2024. Israelis later discovered a tunnel network at the location that led to a Hamas leader.

Despite questions about Iran’s hostility toward the United States, Hamawy used his CNN appearance to argue that Washington should pursue diplomacy and step back from the conflict. His repeated refusal to call Tehran an adversary remained the defining moment of the exchange.

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