On March 30, former British Defense Minister, The Rt. Hon. Dr. Liam Fox, and former Federal Minister of Defense of Germany, Franz Josef Jung, visited Ashraf 3 in Albania and met with members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). During their visit, Fox and Jung also met with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The two former Defense Ministers expressed their support for the Iranian people’s uprising and Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan for the future of Iran while addressing MEK members.
During their meeting, Maryam Rajavi explained that the Iranian people’s September 2022 uprising had changed the equations and shifted the balance of power between the Iranian people and the ruling regime, despite brutal suppression, killings, and arrests. She emphasized that the balance of power would never be the same as it was before the uprising.
Furthermore, Mrs. Rajavi highlighted that the clerical regime resorts to heinous acts in the name of Islam to maintain power. She emphasized that their actions have nothing to do with Islam, and their true motives are to keep their hold on power.
In a speech at a gathering in Ashraf 3 along with Fox and Jung, Mrs. Rajavi said that the Iranian people want a republic where “people can elect their representatives in free elections, and no one enjoys any privilege under any pretext.”
“All Iranian nationalities have suffered 100 years of discrimination and suppression under the Shah’s dictatorship and the religious tyranny. They would have equal rights,” she said.
Mrs. Rajavi said that Iran is on the verge of regime change and the people of Iran have reached the conclusion that the only way to free Iran is the overthrow of the ruling clerical regime.
Meanwhile, the regime is doing everything it can to stay in power, including extreme repression on the one hand and propaganda on the other. The regime promotes the remnants of the Shah’s dictatorship to make the Iranian people believe that they have no other alternative but to accept the current regime. In tandem, it has increased its misinformation efforts against the Iranian Resistance to discredit its true viable alternative.
“The mullahs want to make the international community believe that there is no force for change or democratic alternative in Iran by demonizing the NCRI and PMOI,” Mrs. Rajavi said. But, she stressed, the Iranian Resistance has the necessary means and capacity to overthrow the current regime, especially with the support of anti-regime forces within Iran.
Mrs. Rajavi stressed that ending the mullahs’ rule in Iran is not only important for the people of Iran but also for the peace and security of Europe, the Middle East, and the world.
“The Iranian people should have the right to defend themselves against the IRGC and other oppressive forces of the regime,” she said. “The IRGC should be designated as a terrorist group, and it’s time to close the regime’s embassies.”
In his speech, Fox strongly criticized the Iranian regime for their human rights abuses and their role in destabilizing the region. He described the regime as a toxic state run by thugs, and said that their economic policies have brought nothing but hardship to the Iranian people.
Fox said that the velayat-e faqih principle (the rule of the clergy) is a “instrument for intellectual, religious and political oppression” and “only its complete abandonment can ever allow the people of Iran to free expression and self determination that they require. Nothing else will do.”
He called for Western politicians to stand up to the abhorrent practice of hostage-taking by the Iranian regime as a tool for foreign policy.
“I think that all of us in Western politics need to stand up to this abhorrent practice and make very clear that we cannot be blackmailed by a regime with no moral authority,” he said.
Fox also acknowledged the bravery of women in Iran for their role in recent protests.
“At the heart of the battle for freedom in Iran are the women of Iran,” he said. “To take on the might of the regime, knowing what the cost would be, is a real beacon to the rest of the world and tells us what the real battle is today in terms of women’s rights in our globe.”
On the topic of nuclear talks, Fox was critical of the JCPOA, saying that it merely delays Iran’s ambition to become a nuclear weapon state and does not deal with the regime’s determination to destabilize its neighbors or support for terrorism.
“I have long been an opponent of the JCPOA, the international agreement with Iran, because, frankly, I don’t believe it’s worth the paper that it’s written on,” he said. “It doesn’t deal with Iran’s ambition to become a nuclear weapon state merely to delay it. And delaying a problem like that is no real advantage. It does not deal with Iran’s ballistic weapons issue. It does not deal with its the regime’s determination to destabilize its neighbors in the region. And it does nothing to stop its support for terrorism in other parts of the world, including mine.”
Finally, Fox criticized Western policy towards Iran, saying that the people of Iran did not receive moral support from the West during the 2009 protests, and that the free world should not rest until the people of Iran have the same freedom and liberty, democracy and the ability to live under a rule of law that is secular and non-arbitrary.
In his speech, Jung expressed his support for the Iranian Resistance and their fight for freedom, democracy, and human rights in Iran. He praised the courage and commitment of the Iranian Resistance, who are working to implement the ten-point plan of Maryam Rajavi.
“Your President Rajavi’s ten-point plan is the future for Iran and everyone should unite behind it,” he said.
Jung emphasized the importance of showing the world the true nature of the Iranian regime, including their terrorism and human rights abuses, and urged the West to adopt a clear policy towards the regime. He called for the inclusion of the Revolutionary Guards on the terror list and warned against the demonization campaign being spread by the regime against the Iranian Resistance.
“When some groups say that the Revolutionary Guards just need to have a new function… [we say] no, ladies and gentlemen! As the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in Germany, we said the Revolutionary Guards belong on the terror list. This is a necessity that must also be made clear in the future,” he said.
