A new US president has
symbolized a new foreign policy, particularly when it comes to dealing
with Iran. The US is resetting the table, both militarily and diplomatically.
During
the election campaign, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pledged to focus his
second term on lifting non-nuclear sanctions. Whether he will be successful is
something yet to be seen, considering it was the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
who green-lighted the nuclear talks back in 2012, before Rouhani’s term, and
his blessing was needed in the entire process.
Having
non-nuclear sanctions lifted is conditioned on Khamenei willing to endure major
setbacks, as he did in the nuclear deal. However, the international community
will be raising major demands from Iran to bring an end to its support for terrorism and
exporting warmongering, put a lid on its ballistic missile program
and begin respecting human rights by ending executions and torture. London, 13
Jun – The US House of Representatives has passed a bill condemning the 1988
Iranian massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.
Resolution
188, officially titled: The
condemnation of the Iranian government for the massacre of political prisoners
in 1988 and the invitation to call for justice for the victims, is a rare
example of a bill that receives bipartisan support in an increasingly partisan
Congress.
While
these conditions are obvious, the signs seen from Iran and the region are
signaling noteworthy developments and changes.
“We
will test our missiles whenever needed, waiting for no one’s permission,” Rouhani said in
response to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Riyadh, saying Iran must end
its ballistic missile tests. Rouhani’s remarks are a clear violation of United
Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
“In
the region, Iran has been able to stand in the face of terrorism… sending its
diplomats and military advisors to Iraq, Syria and other nations…,” Rouhani
said in response to both US President Donald Trump and his top diplomat as they
both demanded Tehran bring an end to its terrorism in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen,
and end its financial support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and other proxy groups checkered
in the region.
Digging
deeper, the very nature of the mullahs’ regime, with Khamenei and the
Revolutionary Guards – IRGC – calling
all the serious shots, will make such developments impossible.
Just
one day prior to Iran’s recent presidential “election”, in Syria, the IRGC
dispatched a column of proxy forces to take over a base near the town of Tanef,
near the Syria-Iraq-Jordan border. Syrian opposition and US Special Forces are
stationed on this site. In response, marking a major development, the US
launched an airstrike targeting the incoming force and sending very important
signals across the region.
Further
steps were taken when international coalition warplanes struck a
Hezbollah base in Syria’s Deir Ezzur. This marked the second incident in a week
when the US targeted positions associated with Iran’s militias in Syria,
including Hezbollah.
While
Iran enjoyed the ability to harass US Navy ships in international waters during
Obama’s tenure, recent episodes have been a wake-up call for Tehran. A US Navy
warship fired warning shots towards an approaching IRGC boat. US Navy 5th Fleet
spokesman said the warship transmitted numerous messages to the boat and was
forced to resort to warning shots.
In
the meantime, a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis, another Iranian
proxy, was shot down by Saudi missile air defense systems. And despite numerous
failures, Iran has raised the level of its support for the Houthis, as
troubling reports show Tehran is smuggling chemical weapons to Yemen.
This
is exactly why Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir emphasized the Arab World
will judge Iran by its actions, not words. “Iran is planning terrorist networks
in Arab countries, supplying arms to militias seeking to disrupt our security,”
he said, adding “Tehran has been refusing al-Qaeda leaders for more than 15
years and facilitate their measures.”
Decades
of experience have proven Iran’s mullahs only understand the language of force.
As the Arabic Islamic American summit came
to its finale, reports indicated the establishment of a 34,000-strong military
force aimed at confronting terrorism, set to begin operations in early 2018.
Iranian
opposition Maryam Rajavi,
President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed the new initiatives and called on the
international community to specifically end all relations with the mullahs’
regime, expel its representatives from international organizations, blacklist
the IRGC and the slate of its associated paramilitary, and have them evicted
from the entire region.
Rajavi
also welcomed the
approval of a sanctions resolution against the Iranian regime by the US Senate
in unison with the House of Representatives. She described the move as an
imperative and significant step to prevent the medieval regime from obtaining
nuclear weapons. She expressed hope that the US government would immediately
implement the resolution.
The
status quo has provided the international community – particularly the US – the
opportunity to stand on the right side of history, alongside the Iranian people
in their struggle against the mullahs’ regime.
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