In his remarks at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 28, 2014, President Barack Obama elucidated at this commencement ceremony: “America’s support for democracy and human rights goes beyond idealism; it is a matter of national security. Democracies are our closest friends and are far less likely to go to war… Respect for human rights is an antidote to instability and the grievances that fuel violence and terror.”
By Hamid Yazdan Panah
Iran’s dissidents appear to be on their own. Once revered and celebrated by the international community, Iran’s dissidents appear to be an afterthought in respect to policy towards Iran. This reality was on full display this past week, as the Iranian regime arrested Nargess Mohammadi, Vice-President of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC). The arrest of Mohammadi is just the latest example of the regimes ongoing war against freedom of speech and human rights activists.
According to information from within the country, gatherings by noble teachers and education-system employees have begun in Tehran and at least 20 other major cities including Mashad, Tabriz, Shiraz, Sari, Ahwaz, Kermanshah, Qom ,and Ardebil in addition to Tehran.
Iran News Update – On Tuesday, the French Senate hosted a conference titled “Islamic Fundamentalism from Middle East to Europe: Challenges and Solutions.” Presenters at the event included founding members and the current president of the French Committee for a Democratic Iran, as well as several foreign dignitaries.
In an online speech and question and answer session, Political Science Professor Raymond
Tanter told a global audience that the Obama administration is beginning to suffer “buyer’s remorse” regarding its policy of favoring “regime change from within” by looking for moderates inside of the existing regime.
According to Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman of the Iranian opposition movement the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Iranian workers and laborers are becoming more restive and are totally disillusioned about the government of Hassan Rouhani. That is reflected in the marked surge of anti-government protests, strikes, and sit-ins in recent months, Gobadi said.
By former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.)
This past Wednesday could well mark a turning point in the U.S.’s fight against ISIS and other forces of instability and violence in the greater Middle East. The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-Proliferation, and Trade held a hearing entitled “ISIS: Defining the Enemy,” where Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the Iranian opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was the first to testify. This is a watershed development, especially at a moment when the U.S. government is flying headlong into a nuclear deal with Tehran that can only help legitimize the brutal Iranian theocracy that is fomenting much of the sectarian chaos that is feeding the rise of ISIS.
THE leader of the Iranian resistance has called on the international community to adopt a policy in favor of the regime change in Iran to halt the march of ISIS.
On Wednesday, National Council of Resistance of Iran President Maryam Rajavi appeared via videoconference before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, where she used a hearing titled “ISIS: Defining the Enemy” in order to recommend a different approach to the issue of Islamic fundamentalism, which would include overturning the theocratic regime in Tehran.
The ultimate and declared goal of fundamentalists has been to establish an Islamic Caliphate and to enforce Sharia law by force,” said Maryam Rajavi in the testimony she submitted to a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. “This objective is the common denominator and the focal point of all variants of Islamic fundamentalism whether Sunni or Shiite, which render their differences secondary in light of such commonality of purpose.”
