On Thursday, November 21, following the adoption of a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors against the Iranian regime’s nuclear program—just a day after the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly passed a resolution addressing severe human rights violations in Iran— Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), expressed her gratitude to the supporters of the Iranian Resistance who had tirelessly amplified the Iranian people’s voices before the IAEA headquarters. She stated: “The adoption of the resolution by the IAEA Board of Governors—an overdue action that should have been taken much earlier—unequivocally affirms the accuracy, credibility, and legitimacy of the Iranian Resistance’s stance on the clerical regime’s nuclear ambitions and deceptions. Fortunately, the regime’s extensive maneuvers, schemes, and relentless efforts to block the adoption of the resolution were unsuccessful, and now it must be held accountable.”
I welcome the adoption of the IAEA Board of Governors resolution on the clerical regime's nuclear program. As I emphasized yesterday in the European Parliament, the regime, in flagrant violation of the nuclear agreement, through relentless concealment and deceit, continues its… pic.twitter.com/29GJWzYFDr
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 21, 2024
In June 1991, the Iranian Resistance was the first to expose the secret programs and facilities for weapons of mass destruction operated by the Iranian regime. By 2002, it had revealed the Natanz and Arak nuclear sites, alerting the world to the threat posed by nuclear weapons in the hands of Tehran’s reckless regime. Over the past three decades, the regime has relentlessly pursued the nuclear bomb project through secrecy, deception, and lies. This anti-national endeavor has so far imposed a staggering cost of over $2 trillion on the Iranian people.
The clerical regime has relentlessly pursued its nuclear weapons ambitions through extreme secrecy and deception, refusing to abandon the project. A telling example is a statement made by Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the regime’s Atomic Energy Organization during the negotiations and implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): “There were some pipes with a diameter of 2-3 centimeters and a length of 3-4 meters… We had also purchased similar pipes in the same quantity. They told us to fill those pipes with cement, and we did so. But we hadn’t told them that we had other pipes as well, because if we had, they would have said to fill those pipes with cement too. Now we are using those pipes” (Regime television – January 22, 2019).
In contrast to the anti-Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons by the clerics to preserve their regime—despite its massive costs and damages to the Iranian people—the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and the Iranian Resistance have exposed this ominous policy through persistent efforts and succeeded in creating political and international barriers.
In this regard, two years ago, Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, stated: “The root of the nuclear issue lies in the hostility of the PMOI. The PMOI began accusing the Islamic Republic 20 years ago. During this time, they have been reporting daily to the IAEA that Iran is building a nuclear bomb at such-and-such a site” (ISNA, July 1, 2022).
While the Iranian Resistance’s revelations about the danger of the terrorist dictatorship acquiring nuclear weapons have been an unprecedented service not only to Iranians but also to global peace, in November 2004, proponents of the appeasement policy struck a disgraceful deal to keep the PMOI on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations in exchange for the regime’s promised cooperation on nuclear matters. This remains an indelible stain in the history of western diplomacy toward Iran.
The regime has built its relations with the West and the IAEA on a foundation of deception and trickery, continuing these practices even during the implementation of JCPOA agreements. Meanwhile, appeasers have repeatedly been deceived by the regime and its agents, granting the regime more time to advance its plans. In contrast, the Iranian Resistance has consistently called for a firm stance, advocating for the referral of the regime’s nuclear activities and crimes against humanity to the UN Security Council.
On Wednesday, November 20, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi stated in the European Parliament that the first immediate and necessary step to prevent this terrorist dictatorship from acquiring nuclear weapons is to invoke the snapback mechanism in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and activate the six resolutions of the Security Council regarding the regime’s nuclear projects. After the Board of Governors’ resolution was issued, Mrs. Rajavi also emphasized: “For international peace and security, the UN Security Council must no longer delay. The Iranian regime must be addressed under Chapter VII of the UN Charter without further hesitation.”