Iran Focus
Washington, 25 Jul – The US government and its Western allies should adopt a new policy on Iran, blocking its “pathways” to a nuclear bomb and its meddling in the Middle East and recognising the Iranian people’s “desire to topple the religious fascism in Iran and to establish democracy and a popular rule”, Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi told a Congressional briefing in the US House of Representatives on Friday.
A bi-partisan panel of Congressmen, former officials and foreign policy experts addressed the briefing entitled: “Halting Iran’s Nuclear Bomb Quest, Rights Abuses and Regional Meddling – Challenges & Options”. Rajavi addressed the conference via video message.
Watch Maryam Rajavi’s remarks to US Congressional briefing here:
“Lately, the clerical regime has stepped up violations of human rights in Iran”, Rajavi said. “It has dramatically intensified executions including public executions”.
“It has been attacking and harassing political prisoners, on the one hand and on the other, it has stepped-up the inhumane siege of Camp Liberty”, Rajavi added, referring to the camp in Baghdad housing thousands of members of Iran’s main opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
“Starting a few weeks ago and on the eve of the nuclear agreement, we officially warned the U.S. Secretary of State, the UN Secretary General and other officials involved that the Iranian regime had demanded the government of Iraq to intensify its repressive measures and the siege on Camp Liberty“, Rajavi said. “We urged the officials’ intervention to prevent this situation, but they have not adopted any measures in this regard”.
On Iran’s nuclear agreement last week with the world powers, Rajavi said: “In fact, the mullahs capitulated to the nuclear agreement out of total weakness”.
“Growing popular opposition to the regime, the Resistance’s disclosures against the regime, and the impact of international sanctions compelled them to come to the negotiating table”.
“In the first hours after the announcement of the nuclear agreement between the mullahs and the P5+1, groups of people took to the streets of Tehran demanding freedom, citizen rights and freedom of political prisoners”.
“Contrary to the propaganda of the Iranian regime and its lobbies in the West, the Iranian people oppose the mullahs’ nuclear program”.
“The mullahs’ claim that the nuclear program is considered a national pride is a great lie”.
“We are proud of exposing the mullahs’ nuclear weapons program and will continue to do so, because it is absolutely against the interests of the Iranian people”, Rajavi said.
Simultaneous with the nuclear agreement, and in addition to “violation of human rights and suppression of Camp Liberty”, Rajavi said, “the Iranian regime has expanded and intensified its meddling in the region”.
Rajavi pointed out that on 18 July Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said whether or not the nuclear agreement is ratified, “we will not abandon supporting our friends in the region, in Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon and Palestine”.
He added that US policies in the region were 180 degrees the opposite of those of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“The message is very clear”, Rajavi said: “Continued and stepped-up killing of the people in Syria, Iraq and other countries in the region”.
“Today, after two years, we have an agreement before us, which should not have violated six UN Security Council resolutions”.
“It should have pursued dismantling the illegal nuclear program of the mullahs’ regime and left no opportunity for mullahs to engage once again in deception”.
“Nevertheless, this reluctant retreat by the clerical regime, which violated a number of Khamenei’s red lines, will upset the regime’s balance and undermine the religious dictatorship”.
“It will intensify the regime’s internal crisis in all respects”.
“In light of the Iranian regime’s weaknesses and crises, if the P5+1 had adopted a decisive policy, the regime would have had no choice but to abandon its nuclear projects all together”.
“However, the biggest weakness in this agreement and the outcome of the policy of appeasement vis-a-vis the Iranian regime is silence on the issue of human rights and repression in Iran and the mullahs’ hegemonic ambitions in the region”.
History has shown that “appeasing fascist regimes” will have catastrophic consequences, Rajavi said. “Neither appeasing this regime, nor investing in its internal factions offers a solution. War is not the alternative to appeasement”.
“The alternative is regime change in Iran by the Iranian people and their resistance. This is the only guarantee for resolving the mullahs’ nuclear crisis. As such, in the present circumstances, we stress on the need for a responsible, decisive policy vis-a-vis the Iranian regime, the most serious regional and global threat today”.
Rajavi outlined the elements of her suggested policy:
“First, blocking all the pathways and loopholes which enable the mullahs to obtain the bomb”.
“Second, recognizing the Iranian people’s desire to topple the religious fascism in Iran and to establish democracy and a popular rule”.
“Third, expelling the Iranian regime, its revolutionary Guards Corps, and the terrorist Quds Force from the entire region, especially from Iraq and Syria”.
Read the full text of Maryam Rajavi’s remarks to the US Congressional briefing on Iran here.
