Home Blog Page 171

Iran’s Regime on Verge of Obtaining Nuclear Weapons

Mehdi Hosseini
-
0
Iran’s Regime on Verge of Obtaining Nuclear Weapons

A coalition of well-known think tanks and activist groups in the United States, including the Vandenberg Coalition and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, have warned that the Iranian regime’s nuclear program has reached a critical stage, and the Iranian government could produce enough enriched uranium to build several nuclear weapons within a few days.

This comes as global attention is focused on the war between Israel and Hamas, a group supported by the Iranian regime in the Gaza Strip, and also on the U.S. presidential elections this year, 2024. Meanwhile, Tehran has continuously increased its nuclear activities and uranium enrichment.

These groups have published a report, urging the next U.S. president to rapidly develop “credible military options” to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons and to adopt a “coherent and comprehensive strategy” to counter the threats posed by Iran’s nuclear program and its destabilizing activities.

In their joint report, they further emphasize that the time for diversion and ignoring these threats is over and that the policies of Joe Biden’s administration towards the Iranian regime have been ineffective.

This report, supported by nine think tanks and activist groups in the field of foreign policy, highlights growing concern among a broad segment of the U.S. foreign policy community about the Biden administration’s reluctance to confront Iran’s regime.

The suggestions of these groups for the next U.S. president include the following:

  • Gathering other Western countries to sanction Tehran’s nuclear activities and reimposing a set of economic measures that were initially lifted by the United Nations as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.
  • Preparing the United States Department of Defense, the Pentagon, to swiftly implement military options if deterrence fails.
  • Countering Tehran’s foreign influence campaign by disclosing classified information and prosecuting Iranian regime officials involved in efforts to kill Iranian dissidents and American officials.
  • Paying more attention to the Iranian regime’s proxy terrorist groups and holding Iran accountable for their actions.
  • Increasing public support for opposition forces against the Iranian regime within Iran.

The report warns that the Iranian regime’s advanced nuclear program, along with its full range of destabilizing activities, demonstrates the urgent need for a coherent and comprehensive strategy to counter these threats.

Iran’s Regime Can’t Provide Electricity to 13 Provinces

Mehdi Hosseini
-
0
Iran’s Regime Can’t Provide Electricity to 13 Provinces

According to the state-run ISNA news agency, 13 provinces in Iran will be closed on ursday, July 11, due to what it called an “imbalance between electricity production and consumption as well as rising temperatures and record-breaking consumption.”

As reported by ISNA, the provinces of Semnan, Zanjan, Khuzestan, Qom, Bushehr, Markazi, Isfahan, Yazd, Sistan and Baluchestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kerman, South Khorasan, and Lorestan will be closed on Thursday due to the electricity shortage.

This state news agency wrote that the demand for electricity consumption in Iran reached over 77 gigawatts, and with the predicted increase in temperature, the consumption trend is likely to continue rising.

According to this report, to prevent widespread blackouts and scheduled power cuts in the 13 provinces, Thursday has been declared a holiday so that “by reducing electricity consumption in offices, the network can be managed and blackouts avoided.”

Tavanir Company (Iran Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Management Company) sent a nationwide warning SMS to subscribers on Monday, July 8, and a consumption warning for Tehran was also issued on Wednesday.

In this regard, according to the regime’s Young Journalists Club (YJC), the electricity of 65 high-consumption administrative subscribers in Tehran was cut off due to their refusal to reduce electricity consumption.

In recent days, there have been many protests on social media regarding power outages in various cities in Iran.

In this context, according to Telegram channels, the residents of “Kuye Mashali” in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, do not have electricity for 12 hours a day, while the city is “struggling with unbearable heat above 50 degrees Celsius.”

According to this report, the frequent and unannounced power outages have disrupted the daily lives of Ahvaz residents.

The power outages are occurring despite Homayoun Haeri, the regime’s Deputy Minister of Energy for Electricity and Energy Affairs, telling ISNA on May 4 that “with the measures and planning in place and the cooperation of electricity industry subscribers, we will not have blackouts this year.”

However, in mid-June, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining, and Trade announced in a letter to the Minister that the electricity restrictions for industries this summer will be intensified, and consequently, the activities of industries such as steel and cement will be severely disrupted, ultimately leading to reduced production and increased prices.

The state-run ILNA news agency also published a letter from Reza Mohtashamipour, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining, and Trade, addressed to the minister, stating: “The nominal power capacity of the country has reached 90,000 megawatt-hours, and while we have not yet approached the hot months of the year, the peak electricity consumption has reached 70,000 megawatts.”

Meanwhile, the regime’s Khabar Online website reported that power outages in some central areas of Tehran have reached four hours.

Khabar Online emphasized that in previous years, with the start of the hot season, the maximum power outage duration was two hours, and this is the first time that residents have experienced nearly four-hour power cuts.

According to media reports, power outages have become a major problem for industries, causing protests from industrial owners.

Reports indicate that yesterday, the electricity of the SAIPA car manufacturing plant was also cut off for at least five hours, causing serious problems in the production process, leaving workers idle and uncertain for hours.

According to published news, consecutive power outages in Tehran’s industrial hub, Jaddeh Makhsous (special road), which houses many long-established and old factories, have caused major problems for industries.

The state-run ILNA news agency, quoting the Vice President of the Industry Commission of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, wrote that one-day-a-week power outages in industrial towns across the country are extending to a second day.

The regime’s Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper reported on Wednesday that power outages cause serious damage to industries, and each time the industries are turned on and off, it takes about 24 hours, with each 24-hour power outage causing increased damages.

Donya-e-Eqtesad pointed out the private sector’s request to the government to move the one-day-a-week power outage to Friday and wrote that Ministry of Energy officials have informed industrial owners that “solving this issue is not within the Ministry of Energy’s authority, and security agencies control this sector.”

Experts consider the lack of planning and behavior outside economic frameworks in development issues as the main factor in the energy sector’s imbalance and believe that with this method of governance, there is no hope for improving conditions.

Iran’s Regime is Exploiting Gaza Protests in US

Hoshang Amiri
-
0
Iran’s Regime is Exploiting Gaza Protests in US

The US Director of National Intelligence reported on Iran’s cyber activities and the misuse of protests against Israel in the Gaza war by Iranian agents.

Avril Haines, on Tuesday, July 9, said in a statement: ”  We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters [against the Gaza war].”

The US director of national intelligence further referred to her testimony in the US Congress in May 2024, stating that Iran is increasingly attempting aggressive infiltration and creating divisions and undermining trust in our democratic institutions.

In this statement, she emphasized Tehran’s actions in previous US elections, specifying that Iranian cyber forces continue their cyber activities and infiltration using social media platforms and threats, and it is likely that they continue promoting their influence through their intelligence services and online influencers based in Iran.

The US director of national intelligence highlighted Tehran’s efforts in recent weeks, stressing that the country is seeking to “exploit” the ongoing protests over the Gaza war using a “playbook” that others have used for years.

“I want to be clear that I know Americans who participate in protests are, in good faith, expressing their views on the conflict in Gaza — this intelligence does not indicate otherwise. Moreover, the freedom to express diverse views, when done peacefully, is essential to our democracy, but it is also important to warn of foreign actors who seek to exploit our debate for their own purposes.” Haines said.

Student protests in the US, which began after Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip and the worsening conditions of civilians in the area, have been intense for weeks.

On Thursday, May 30, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in a letter to American students opposing the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, described them as part of the “Resistance Front.”

The Iranian regime refers to its affiliated militia groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen as the “Axis of Resistance,” which attacks US and Israeli targets and positions in the region.

The US director of national intelligence stated that Americans targeted by Iranian regime campaigns might not be aware that they are interacting with or supporting a foreign government.

Previously, the US director of national intelligence warned the Senate that innovations in artificial intelligence allow foreign actors to produce seemingly more credible political messages more efficiently, on a larger scale, and with content tailored to different languages and cultures.

On Thursday, May 30, the artificial intelligence company OpenAI also announced in a report that it had removed five online influence campaigns that were using artificial intelligence to “deceive” public opinion.

According to the company’s new report, bad actors based in Russia, China, Iran, and Israel were attempting to use artificial intelligence to deceive the public.

According to this report, these actors used OpenAI’s tools, including ChatGPT, to create social media comments in various languages, generate names and IDs for fake accounts, create cartoons and other images, and debug code.

Porters in Iran Risk Death to Earn Meager Amounts 

Sia Rajabi
-
0
Porters in Iran Risk Death to Earn Meager Amounts 

Reports indicate an increase in deadly attacks by Iranian regime security forces on Kurdish porters. These porters carry goods from Iraq for a very small amount of money.

In 2023, Iranian regime security forces shot at 507 Kurds carrying goods from Iraq, killing 44 of them.

Since the beginning of 2024, 111 Kurds have been shot at the border for the same reason.

When the border guards see the porters, they shoot at them. Many people are either killed or suffer serious injuries, including spinal cord injuries.

Porters are of various ages, from 13-year-old boys to 75-year-old men. Some of them are highly educated but are forced to take up this job to make a living.

Porters usually receive their wages based on the weight and type of goods they carry.

Items such as tea, electronics, textiles, beauty products, and cigarettes cross the border to be sold immediately.

Porters travel at least 10 kilometers through the mountains carrying at least 10 kilograms of goods. For carrying heavy loads in snow and cold weather, with the risk of being killed, injured, or imprisoned, they receive only $10.

Shooting at porters has been happening for two decades, and poverty is the main factor driving porters to this job.

According to official statistics, since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, about 20 million landmines were planted in Iranian Kurdistan.

The planting of these mines has made the land unsuitable for agriculture and created deadly conditions for working on the land.

In addition to the difficulty of agricultural work in these areas, there are no investments or development projects in the region.

Human Rights Watch has published a report on the increase in shootings by Iranian security forces at porters.

For this report, 13 Kurdish porters were interviewed who survived the shootings or witnessed them between October 2021 and April 2024.

Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the border guards and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out these attacks on the porters.

The Iranian regime treats the Baluch fuel carriers on the eastern border similarly to how it treats the porters on the western borders.

Targeting ethnic minorities such as Kurds and Baluchs is a means of controlling them.

Protests by pensioners in several cities in Iran

Jubin Katiraie
-
0
Protests by pensioners in several cities in Iran

Economic protests by pensioners from Social Security, government, telecommunications, and steel sectors took place in several cities across the country on Sunday, July 7. The protests emphasized the “double oppression” of women by the government in Iran and called for the release of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist sentenced to death.

According to reports from labor sources, pensioners from various organizations gathered on Sunday to protest against their living conditions, unmet labor demands, the arrest and pressure on labor activists, and the additional oppression of women in several cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shush, and Ahvaz.

In Tehran, protesting pensioners chanted: “Double oppression on women.”

Protesting pensioners in Tehran also chanted against the arrest and death sentence of labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi: “Sharifeh Mohammadi must be freed.”

At the same time, protesting pensioners in Shush, Khuzestan province, chanted: “Let go of the headscarf, think about us” in protest against their living conditions and government pressure on women.

In this gathering, the protesting pensioners also emphasized: “We condemn the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi.”

At the pensioners’ protest in Kermanshah, protesters demanded welfare services, including free healthcare, and wage determination based on inflation rates.

In Isfahan, retired steel industry workers highlighted financial corruption and large-scale embezzlement, chanting to the regime officials: “Reduce your thefts, solve our problems.”

Additionally, Khuzestan steel industry retirees gathered in front of the Steel Industries Pension Fund in Ahvaz.

The expansion of labor protests by various groups, including pensioners, workers from different industries, teachers, victims of financial fraud, and healthcare workers, indicates the increasing economic problems in Iran and the disregard of regime officials.

The continuation of economic protests on Sunday occurred just two days after the regime held elections to appoint a successor to Ebrahim Raisi. Most people consider the change of the head of state in the current government structure irrelevant to solving economic and livelihood issues.

Economist Hossein Raghfar recently stated regarding the campaign slogans of the Islamic Republic’s favored candidates that there are two governments in Iran’s ruling system; one has “weapons and power” and impacts people’s livelihoods, while the other has no “power” at all.

Liquidity in Iran Reaches 80 quadrillion Rials

Mehdi Hosseini
-
0
Liquidity in Iran Reaches 80 quadrillion Rials

New statistics from the Central Bank of Iran show that liquidity in the country reached a staggering 79 quadrillion rials (approximately $133.333 billion) by the end of the last Persian year (March 21, 2024).

The new statistics released by the Central Bank on Sunday, July 7, show that since the start of Ebrahim Raisi‘s government, the volume of liquidity has more than doubled; in other words, the liquidity generated during Raisi’s government exceeds the total liquidity in the history of Iran’s economy up to the establishment of the thirteenth government.

The Central Bank’s report highlighted the “decline in the growth rate of liquidity” and defended the Central Bank’s performance in controlling liquidity. However, details of the statistics from this financial institution show that liquidity in Iran in August 2021, when Hassan Rouhani’s government handed over executive power to Ebrahim Raisi’s government, was about 39 quadrillion rials (approximately $65 billion), but by the end of last year, this figure had more than doubled, and it is unclear how much liquidity has increased this spring.

Liquidity is the most important factor of inflation, and this index in Iran is due to the uncontrolled printing of unbacked money by the Central Bank to cover the government’s budget deficit.

The doubling of liquidity in the country during Ebrahim Raisi’s tenure comes while he had promised in his election campaign to control inflation by curbing government borrowing and liquidity. However, according to the latest Central Bank statistics, government borrowing from banks has also doubled under the thirteenth government.

The Central Bank has not released the volume of government debt to banks since February and March, but February 2024 statistics show that this figure has surged to over 13 quadrillion rials (approximately $21.6 billion), more than double the start of Ebrahim Raisi’s government.

Borrowing from banks and the Central Bank itself is only a small part of the total government borrowing; according to the CEO of Iran’s National Development Fund, the government’s debt to this institution has reached about $100 billion, which is equivalent to more than a quarter of Iran’s entire economy.

The issue of rampant liquidity growth in the country during Raisi’s tenure was also raised by Masoud Pezeshkian, the winner of the recent elections, during the election debates. Last week, the Central Bank released a detailed report claiming that the “pace of liquidity growth has slowed,” but did not admit that the volume of liquidity had effectively doubled over three years, with the liquidity produced during the thirteenth government alone equaling the total liquidity of the country up to August 2021.

According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, the volume of liquidity in Iran is expected to increase by 33 percent during the current Persian year.

Iran’s Regime Selects New President in Massively Boycotted

Mehdi Hosseini
-
0
Iran’s Regime Selects New President in Massively Boycotted

With the completion of the vote count for the majority of ballot boxes, Iran’s Ministry of Interior declared Massoud Pezeshkian as the winner of the 14th presidential election.

According to the Ministry of Interior, in the second round, Massoud Pezeshkian secured 16,384,157 votes, defeating Saeed Jalili to win the presidency for a four-year term.

According to figures released by the Iranian regime, voter turnout was about 40% in the first round and 50% in the second round. However, there are serious doubts about the accuracy of these statistics. Many accuse the government of manipulating the results and inflating the number of votes, claiming that the actual turnout was much lower than reported.

Simultaneously, on Friday, July 5, during the second round of the early presidential election, several civil and political activists, along with families of victims of the Iranian regime, insisted on the sham nature of the elections and called for a boycott. More than 100 political prisoners in Evin Prison refused to participate in the elections.

The Iranian regime had canceled prison leaves in some prisons due to the election.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the main opposition group, reported that the turnout was 12% in the first round and 9% in the second round.

“Voluntary and compulsory votes in 58,640 fixed and mobile polling stations are about 5.5 million, equivalent to 9 percent of eligible voters.

The PMOI Social Headquarters inside Iran, on Friday, July 5, 2024, during the second round of the regime’s presidential election, undertook to monitor 2,000 fixed polling stations in a sampling recommended by experts,” PMOI emphasized.

After the ballot boxes were taken to Evin prison, over a hundred political prisoners refused to participate in this electoral circus.

Images and videos from dozens of cities in Iran indicate widespread non-participation by the public in the voting.

Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime, finally acknowledged on July 3rd, after four days of silence, that public participation in the first round of voting among the regime’s preferred candidates to succeed Raisi was “less than expected.”

While the majority of Iranian citizens boycotted the government voting and likened it to a “circus” and a “show,” Ali Khamenei claimed on Wednesday, July 3rd: “The idea that those who did not vote in the first round are against the regime is completely wrong.”

This comes after he had emphasized the importance of participation in the voting before the recent vote to replace Raisi, saying that “high participation” would bring “pride to the Islamic Republic.”

Additionally, the regime’s Ministry of Interior sent text messages urging people to participate in the elections. The lack of public participation in these elections is unprecedented in the history of the Iranian regime.

During the nationwide protests in 2022, people chanted, “Reformist, hardliner, the game is over,” indicating that Iranians have moved beyond all factions of the ruling regime and that whoever wins in the electoral circus will not affect their fate.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), referred to the election boycott by the people in a message on her X account and said:

The Nationwide Boycott in the Second Stage of Iran’s Presidential Election

Hoshang Amiri
-
0
The Nationwide Boycott in the Second Stage of Iran’s Presidential Election

The second round of voting between the two candidates of the Iranian regime to succeed Ebrahim Raisi began on Friday, July 5, in Iran. Reports on social media regarding the election process in several cities in various provinces indicate that the polling stations are quiet and there has not been widespread participation so far.

Many figures and activists, along with political and civil organizations and a large number of political prisoners, have called for a boycott, labeling what the Iranian regime calls elections as a “circus” or “show,” similar to the first round of voting.

According to the regime’s official IRNA news agency, Mohsen Eslami, the spokesperson for the election headquarters of the Ministry of Interior of the Iranian regime, said, “We will try to announce the final result in the early hours of Saturday.”

Meanwhile, videos posted on social media from cities such as Tehran, Kahnuj, Fuman, Ilam, Ahvaz, Isfahan, Bojnord, and Shahrekord indicate that eligible voters have not gone to the polls.

The second stage of the election began under circumstances where, according to even government statistics, a vast majority of Iranians did not participate in the first round of voting, which opponents referred to as a “circus” and a “show.”

According to the claims of the Iranian regime, only 40% of eligible voters participated in the first round of the elections, a figure that nearly all political figures consider to be false.

The statistics and figures from the Iranian regime’s official sources have always been seriously doubted and disputed by observers and independent sources. Many observers and civil and political activists believe that the number of voters in the first round of the elections was lower than what the Iranian regime claimed.

However, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Iranian regime, said on Friday, July 5, while voting: “I have heard that people’s enthusiasm and interest are greater than before. God willing, it is so.”

On Wednesday, July 3, he claimed regarding the 60% non-participation of eligible voters in the first round of the elections: “The idea that those who did not vote in the first round are against the system is a completely wrong perception.”

Before the first stage of the recent voting to succeed Ebrahim Raisi, Ali Khamenei had stated in another speech about the importance of public participation that “high participation” would bring “honor to the Iranian regime.”

In this context, despite the extensive campaigns by Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, two candidates approved by the Guardian Council of the Iranian regime, many social media users, along with the families of justice-seeking figures and activists, as well as political and civil organizations, announced that they would not participate in this round of government voting.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the largest opposition group in Iran, announced on June 28 during the first round of the presidential elections that more than 88% of eligible voters did not participate. The participants constituted 12% of those eligible to vote, numbering less than 7.4 million, marking the lowest participation rate in the history of the Iranian regime.

Opponents say there is “no difference” between the two candidates chosen by the Iranian regime to succeed Raisi, and participating in the government elections is considered a “vote for more killing and repression.”

The Iranian regime has even asked prisoners to vote. In Lahijan prison, prisoners on leave were informed that everyone must return to the prison to vote with their ID cards or national cards.

The prosecutor of Saravan County has threatened prisoners that if they do not participate in the second round of elections, their leave will be canceled.

Iranian Activist Sentenced to Death

Esmaeil Mohades
-
0
Iranian Activist Sentenced to Death

Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, was sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Rasht. On Thursday, July 4, Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Lakan Prison in Rasht, was sentenced to death in a criminal verdict by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of this city.

Sharifeh Mohammadi’s trial was held on June 8 in the First Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Rasht.

Previously, human rights organizations had expressed concern over the charge of “Baghi” (a vaguely defined crime used against regime opponents) against Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

This ridiculous charge is related to Ms. Mohammadi’s membership in the “Committee to Aid the Formation of Labor Unions” before 2010.

The charge of “Baghi” can lead to the death penalty or long-term imprisonment.

Such false accusations and fabricated cases are well-known methods used by the Intelligence Ministry to deal with independent labor and social activists. Ms. Sharifeh Mohammadi has been tortured by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Previously, reports of mistreatment of this labor activist after her transfer from Lakan Prison in Rasht to Sanandaj Prison had been published.

Meanwhile, the human rights organization “Hengaw” wrote that Sharifeh Mohammadi “has been sentenced to death for the charge of Baghi due to her membership in the Committee to Aid the Formation of Labor Unions and the association of this union with the Komala Party, based on Articles 211 and 287 of the Islamic Penal Code ratified in 2013.”

According to documents obtained by Hengaw, this verdict has been officially and personally communicated to Ms. Mohammadi’s lawyer, and the issued verdict can be appealed to the Supreme Court within 20 days of notification.

In recent days, the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Workers’ Syndicate and the Committee to Aid the Formation of Labor Unions have rejected the charge of Baghi and called for the release of Sharifeh Mohammadi.

The Tehran and Suburbs Bus Workers’ Syndicate, stating that “we strongly condemn the fabrication of scenarios against the detained worker Sharifeh Mohammadi and the baseless charge of Baghi against her,” wrote: “There is no doubt about the absolute falsehood and shamefulness of this charge. They have shamelessly faced an independent and well-known labor and civil activist with a heavy accusation that they themselves know has not a shred of truth.”

This labor organization, in its statement referring to “the harassment and false scenarios that have repeatedly been used against members of the syndicate under various titles,” strongly condemned such an accusation against Ms. Mohammadi and demanded “the immediate and unconditional release” of this imprisoned worker.

Stephen Harper Calls for Support of Iranian Resistance, Endorses Maryam Rajavi’s Vision for a Free Iran

Hoshang Amiri
-
0
Stephen Harper Calls for Support of Iranian Resistance, Endorses Maryam Rajavi’s Vision for a Free Iran

At the Free Iran 2024 World Summit in Paris on June 29, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a powerful speech underscoring the Iranian people’s widespread rejection of the regime through a massive boycott of recent sham elections. Harper emphasized the significance of this boycott as a clear signal of the Iranian populace’s demand for the regime’s overthrow, asserting that the clerical government, despite severe repression, cannot deceive the people with its elections or extremist ideology.

Harper criticized Western governments, particularly the current US administration, for their misguided approaches to Tehran. He argued that regime change in Iran is crucial for promoting peace in the Middle East and that supporting the Iranian resistance is the only viable solution. Harper emphasized that toughening sanctions, condemning human rights violations, declaring Iran a state sponsor of terrorism, and closing down its embassies are necessary measures to isolate the regime and support the Iranian people’s aspirations.

He highlighted the strengths of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), noting its deep social roots, capable leadership, and clear principles, which include a commitment to free elections, human rights, gender equality, the separation of religion and state, and a non-nuclear state at peace with the world. Harper praised the NCRI’s vision for Iran’s future, calling it a fully viable alternative to the current regime.

Harper acknowledged the critical role of women in the resistance, emphasizing their bravery and significant contributions. He stated, “Women have been at the forefront of the resistance, demonstrating incredible bravery and resilience in the face of tyranny,” recognizing their essential role in the fight for a free Iran.

He also commended Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan, describing it as a comprehensive roadmap for Iran’s future. Harper elaborated, “Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan for the future of Iran will extend political, social, and economic equality to women. It will allow all citizens to prosper and thrive in a free market economy. The Ten-Point Plan will ensure the freedom of expression, the freedom of assembly, and guarantee the right of every Iranian to live, to work, to worship, according to the dictates of their conscience in freedom.” He stressed that this vision aligns with universal democratic values and represents the future that the Iranian people desire and deserve.

Harper criticized the appeasement policies of Western capitals, which he argued have only emboldened the regime’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities and aggressive actions. He stated, “The policy of appeasement, and that is exactly what it is in Western capitals, has only made the regime more aggressive and more determined in its pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities. And as long as that strategy is pursued, that strategy of appeasement, these things will only get worse.”

He argued that the only way to deal with the Iranian regime is by opposing it and supporting the organized Iranian resistance. Harper pointed out that the NCRI is ready to offer a viable alternative through free and open elections, providing a government that adheres to principles of democracy, human rights, and gender equality.

In conclusion, Harper urged the international community to support the Iranian resistance and recognize it as a viable alternative to the current regime. He expressed confidence in the Iranian people’s ability to achieve a free and democratic Iran, stating, “Keep looking forward. Keep looking beyond the oppressors in Tehran today and the appeasers in other capitals who help keep them there. Instead, keep your sights focused on that promising future that you have conceived, that millions in Iran and around the world fervently wish to come into being. You can make it happen.”

 

1...170171172...3,782Page 171 of 3,782