In a conference in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, American politicians and lawmakers called on the U.S. government and European states to support the ongoing uprising in Iran and the Iranian people’s aspirations to establish a free, secular, and non-nuclear republic of Iran.
The conference, which is the latest of a series of activities organized by the supporters of the Iranian Resistance in the past few weeks, featured speeches from politicians who have had first-hand experience dealing with the nefarious activities of the Iranian regime.
Senate Briefing on #Iran
US Policy And Path To Freedom 2023#IranRevoIution https://t.co/VdcmLGoQ7p
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 16, 2023
Maryam Rajavi: Iran’s protests are deeply rooted
In her keynote speech to the conference, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said that to discourage the people, “the regime’s propaganda in Iran suggests that people of Iran are isolated and international community only deals with the regime.”
However, the activities of the Iranian Resistance, including the recent House Resolution 100, co-sponsored by the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives, is a blow to these propaganda efforts.
Mrs. Rajavi said that despite the regime’s extensive efforts to suppress the protests, during the Fire Festival in Iran, people burned symbols of the regime and showed their determination and anger against the mullahs and their desire to bring freedom to Iran.
“The events of the last six months have shown that the people of Iran want to change the regime, but change is impossible without an organized, fighting force,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “This is where the Resistance Units come in, and their role is crucial.”
Mrs. Rajavi warned that the regime is “spreading disinformation in Iran and abroad to hinder the progress of the main Iranian force for change” and this disinformation is echoed by the remnants of the former regime to promote the demonization project.
“The Iranian regime is trying to convince people in Iran that foreign governments are trying to bring back the previous dictatorship to Iran. They are doing this to discourage the people from continuing their protests,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “This matter is serious for the Iranian people who overthrew the Shah’s regime in a popular revolution. One of their main slogans is ‘death to the oppressor,’ be it the Shah or the mullahs’ leader.”
Mrs. Rajavi also warned that Western governments’ policy of appeasement is another obstacle for the Iranian people’s uprising. “Although they publicly support the uprising, they are actually allowing the regime to sell oil,” she said. “They speak out against oppression, but do not support the terrorist designation of the IRGC, which is the main force of repression. This policy will have harmful effects on the Iranian people’s uprising.”
Mrs. Rajavi also emphasized that the recent uprising is deeply rooted in a long struggle against the mullahs’ regime, in which more than 120,000 MEK members and supporters have lost their lives.
“This huge loss of life is the price that the Iranian people paid for freedom, and it is one of the significant factors that continue to encourage the protests,” she said.
On behalf of the Iranian Resistance, I urge the honorable members of the US Senate to support the Iranian people's desires expressed through their slogans.
To achieve this, I suggest a special initiative, which includes the following:#IranRevolution#Time4FirmIranPolicy pic.twitter.com/ZvEwXvAlFF— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 16, 2023
Mrs. Rajavi laid out six policy recommendations for the West to support Iranian protesters:
- Reactivate six UN Security Council resolutions to prevent the regime’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. The regime’s nuclear negotiations are just a tactic to buy time.
- End the activities of the Iranian regime’s supporters and lobbies in the United States.
- Impose comprehensive sanctions against the regime and its affiliated organizations, and stop the regime’s use of American markets, companies, and universities.
- Recognize the legitimacy of the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the regime and acknowledge the right of Iranian youth to self-defense against the Revolutionary Guards.
James Jones: Iranians are fighting against all forms of dictatorship
Former U.S. National Security Advisor General James Jones commended Mrs. Rajavi and the NCRI for the work they have done since 1981.
“All this work and advocacy for a democratic Iran have been an inspiration to all of us, and we are really grateful for her unwavering commitment to the Iranian people,” Jones said.
Gen. Jones also said that recent protests that erupted in September of 2022, seven months ago, is a manifestation of over 40 years of organized resistance against the regime, with women in the leadership ranks of the resistance.
“This uprising is not simply about toppling the current oppressive regime ruling Iran. It is a struggle against all forms of dictatorship. People yearn for a democratic and secular republic,” Gen. Jones said. “The vision of a free Iran is enshrined in Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan, which is truly Jeffersonian in its principles and aspirations.”
Gen. Jones said that a free democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic in Iran would be a beacon of hope for the entire Middle East.
“It represents a fundamental shift away from the violence, extremism, sectarianism, and terrorism that have plagued the region, particularly since the ayatollah took power in Iran,” he said.
John Bolton: the people of Iran are not going back
“I think that the events of the past year have really demonstrated that we’ve crossed a line and the people of Iran are not going to go back,” said former National Security Advisor John Bolton. “So, this is the time to redouble our efforts, and I want to say that the work of the MEK, Madam Rajavi, and everybody who has helped out over the years has been a fundamental part of that effort.”
Bolton stressed that the mullahs’ regime never gave up their intention to have nuclear weapons. The regime has been violating the 2015 agreement since the beginning and using it to ensure their path toward nuclear weapons.
“Even to this day, they are actively pursuing nuclear weapons and the ballistic missile technology that they need to deliver them,” Bolton said. “The regime never should have been allowed to enrich uranium.”
Bolton said that the actions of the Iranian people over the past six months are reason for hope. The people have continued their protests despite arrests and killings.
“They’re still out there doing it. And it’s that force of opinion that will bring the ayatollahs down. Give us the regime change we need, free the Iranian people,” Bolton said.
Paula Dobriansky: time to give maximum support to the people of Iran
Former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Ambassador Paula Dobriansky said that Mahsa Amini, a young girl who was arrested and murdered by the regime’s morality police, did not die in vain.
“Her savage murder prompted protests. Relentless courageous women-led protests in Iran’s 31 provinces. Their bravery and defiance of the regime led to a broad bloody response by the police who, according to Amnesty International, slaughtered hundreds of peaceful protesters, including around 70 children,” she said. “Now is the time to give maximum support to those courageous men and women fighting for their freedom and the freedom of future generations in a democratic, secular, non-nuclear Iran republic.”
Dobriansky also expressed her support for Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan.
“From the very beginning, her ten-point plan importantly calls on the people of Iran to have freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom to choose their own leaders,” she said. “The people of Iran clearly want that, and they want the protection of their fundamental rights. So those protesting in Iran have launched a movement that deserves strong support from the international community.”
Joseph Lieberman: MEK has consistently fought against repression
Senator Joseph Lieberman said that the brutal reaction of the Iranian regime to the uprising has “finally made it impossible for other countries of the world to close their eyes to the tyrannical, terrorist nature of the regime.”
But what can the world do to help?
“I would say first, as we think about what we should do today and tomorrow, we have to look back at yesterday,” Lieberman said. “But really the fight for freedom in Iran goes much further back than that decades in the courageous effort of so many people inside Iran with the support of the Iranian Diaspora, both in the time of the Shah, protesting that authoritarian and brutally repressive regime, and of course, in the time of the mullahs. And there is no organization, no movement, that has done so more courageously and with principle over that period of time than the MEK and NCRI led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.”
Lieberman made several recommendations to President Biden’s administration:
- Declare the JCPOA is dead
- Invoke snapback sanctions under UN Security Council Resolution 2231
- Work with European allies to personally sanction the regime’s Supreme Leader and President for human rights abuses and for supporting terrorism
- Sanction the IRGC as a terrorist organization
- Strictly enforce U.S. sanctions, including sanctions against all vessels transporting Tehran’s oil and petroleum products
Lincoln Bloomfield: Stop repeating the falsehoods and propaganda of Tehran
Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield, former Assistant Secretary of US State for Political-Military Affairs, gave a terrific speech in which he debunked the oft-repeated falsehoods and misinformation about the MEK and the Iranian Resistance.
“The goal of the organized resistance since the MEK was founded by student intellectuals in the 1960s has never wavered to establish popular sovereignty and the consent of the governed under a legitimate constitutional process with checks and balances just like ours,” he said.
Bloomfield called for an end to “four decades of allowing the Tehran dictatorship to make us forget the truth, repeat falsehoods and propaganda, and live in fear of offending the world’s most lawless state actor.”
“Iranian people, led by women and girls of Iran, are putting their lives on the line, facing beatings, poison gas, long prison sentences, and hangings,” he said. “Our job requires much less courage to demand the truth, insisting that the media stop amplifying false history, and stop giving these brutal criminals a pass.”
Jeanne Shaheen: It is a dark time for Iran
Senator Jeanne Shaheen read an excerpt from Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan, which reiterated the NCRI’s vision on women’s rights, and said, “That sounds pretty democratic to me.”
“This certainly has been a dark time in Iran,” Sen. Shaheen said. “It could not be more appropriate to talk about the brave people of Iran who have taken to the streets for months in the face of horrific violence to demand a new beginning.”
Sen. Shaheen also highlighted the role of the Iranian regime in cyberattacks against Albania last year, which was in response to Albania’s willingness to host MEK members in Camp Ashraf.
“We’ve got to make sure that we thank those who are providing that kind of safety for what they’re doing and being willing to take on the suffering of the people of Iran and say this is my fight, too,” she said.
