Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed the adoption of a bill by both chambers of the US Congress which imposes new sanctions on the Iranian regime for violating human rights and pursuing ballistic missiles.
By: Shahriar Kia 2017-08-01
The Iranian regime is attempting to
secure a corridor through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, providing a supply route for
its numerous terrorist proxies in the region.
Iran’s clandestine nuclear and
ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and domestic crackdown are all
aimed at maintaining the Tehran’s fascist mullahs in power and pursue their
regional policies.
This notorious objective, in direct
conflict with those of the regional and global coalitions to fight terrorism
and extremism, can be stopped. Eviction of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) and all its proxy forces from the Middle East must complete the new US
Congress sanctions. With President Donald Trump signaling his approval, this
first and foremost step should be taken with hesitation following the
sanctions.
The US House of Representatives
voted overwhelmingly to rally major new sanctions on Iran, parallel to measures
on North Korea and Russia. To impose additional sanctions on Iran’s defense
sector, the House voted 419-3. Coming after three weeks of negotiations, this
bill “tightens the screws on our most dangerous adversaries,” explained House
Speaker Paul Ryan.
Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect
of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed the adoption of
a bill by both chambers of the US Congress which imposes new sanctions on the
Iranian regime for violating human rights and pursuing ballistic missiles.
“Since several years ago, the
Iranian Resistance had urged the terrorist designation of the IRGC, as it
preserves the entirety of the clerical regime and acts as its main apparatus
for domestic suppression and export of terrorism and fundamentalism,” she
stressed. “However, the policy of appeasing the mullahs’ religious dictatorship
paved the way for the IRGC and its proxies’ rampage in the entire region.”
A look back at the pivotal role Iran
played in the rise and flourishing of ISIS, parallel to sectarian conflicts in
the region, will help find the right tracks for security in the region.
In 2008, a joint campaign led by the
U.S. military and Iraqi Sunnis rooted al-Qaeda in Iraq, the precursor to ISIS.
However, the Obama administration’s decision to pull back and deliver the country
to former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, a close ally of the Iranian regime,
eventually led to the unraveling of all previous achievements.
Maliki dismantled the Iraqi
“Awakening Council” and gave Iran free pass to exert its full influence on
Iraq’s political and military apparatus.
In tandem, the destruction and
crimes committed by the IRGC and Bashar al-Assad regime against the Syrian
people provided the prefect breeding ground for sectarian strife and allowed
ISIS to occupy a wide swath of land straddling both countries.
The Iranian regime became the main
beneficiary of the rampage caused by ISIS and subsequently used it as an excuse
to expand its clout by forming and later legalizing the IRGC-equivalent Popular
Mobilization Forces (PMF). This entity has become notoriously renowned for its
crimes against humanity, no less horrendous than those committed by ISIS.
Iran’s highest officials have time
and again acknowledged funding and supporting the criminal militia forces in
Iraq and Syria, expressing their vested interest in occupying neighboring
countries through whatever means.
The Obama administration’s hands-off
approach vis-à-vis Iran’s regional ambitions provided Tehran a far better
opportunity to pursue its nefarious agendas under the pretext of fighting ISIS.
Speculations raised U.S. officials on possible cooperation with Iran in the
fight against terrorism only made matters worse.
Now, as ISIS is losing influence and
ground, Iran is attempting to fill the gap. Letting it have its way would be a
recipe for disaster, as proven in the past eight years.
Despite the threats and taunts
broadcasted regularly Iran’s state media, the regime is far from capable or
inclined to enter open warfare with any other state in the region or across the
globe.
Tehran’s proxies are only as good as
the funding and supplies the regime provides. Without IRGC support Iran’s
proxies will be hard-pressed to spread their mayhem in the region.
Sanctions alone, however, will not
be enough. Tehran has found ways to continue causing mischief under the
toughest sanctions regime.
The threats rendered by Tehran will
only end with regime change in Iran. This will initially benefit the people of
Iran, being the first victims of this regime’s criminal ideology, and
categorically reject its destructive foreign policy, both inside the country
and abroad.
One of the greatest manifestations
of the Iranian people’s desire for change was expressed at the July 1st Free
Iran gathering in paris. Tens of thousands of Iranian expats as well as politicians,
activists and religious figures from across the world attended the rally to
express their solidarity and support for the cause of freedom and democracy in
Iran.
The event had a clear message:
regime change in Iran is the only viable solution for both the people of Iran
and the region’s nations. There’s no need for another foreign conflict. The
people of Iran and their organized resistance have the will, power and means
necessary to realize this change.
Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal also
addressed the massive gathering.
“So, you have coming together now a
mighty coalition of forces, joining with the Resistance, and that should give
us hope that we can make that [regime] change,” he stressed.
*Shahriar Kia is an Iranian
dissident and a political analyst on Iran and the Middle East. He is a member
of the Iranian opposition and a graduate of North Texas University.
