Iran Focus
London, 10 Jul – According to Candice Malcolm’s July 8 Opinion piece in the Toronto Sun, “The only way to make peace with Iran, according to the Obama administration, is appease its cruel and authoritarian government. The alternative, according to the White House, would be increased hostility and perhaps even war. Under this dichotomy, U.S. President Barack Obama has extended an olive branch to America’s longtime adversary.”
This is the one year anniversary of the historic nuclear deal between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Obama and members of the UN Security Council and Germany agreed to lift economic sanctions in exchange for a halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The Trudeau government also determined that it will work towards reinstating diplomatic relations with Iran.
Says Ms. Malcolm, “These self-styled “progressive” politicians are striking a deal with the devil. By engaging with Iran, Western nations are giving legitimacy and power to a deeply regressive regime. Iran is in the grip of one of the world’s most tyrannical and fundamentalist governments. The mullahs that run Iran impose strict sharia law — cutting off limbs, lashing dissidents and stoning women — in a manner comparable to the brutal campaign of violence brought by the Islamic State (ISIS).”
“Obama, Justin Trudeau and other Western leaders base their engagement with Iran on the assumption that regime change is beyond reach. But many Iranian activists see things differently.” states Ms. Malcolm.
Perhaps she is right. This weekend the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and its president-elect, Maryam Rajavi, are holding its annual “Free Iran” conference in Paris. Over 100,000 people attended the rally, including dignitaries and government officials from Europe, the United States, and the Arab World, and tens of thousands of pro-freedom activists and Iranian ex-pats from all over the world.
Ms. Malcolm points out that, “Public opinion polls suggest that, despite the anti-American rhetoric from the regime, most ordinary Iranians hold pro-Western and pro-American views. That is why the Free Iran rally in Paris is so important.”
