Fox News, covered the press briefing of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – U.S. representative office in Washington D.C. and called for blacklisting the Iranian regime Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and for the European nations to close their Iranian embassies in the interests of national security.

In an article on the Fox News website, Adam Shaw reported on an address by Alireza Jafarzadeh, the Deputy Director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. He told reporters at a press conference in Washington D.C. this week, “What we are calling for is closing the Iranian regime’s embassies.” He added: “These diplomatic relations have allowed the regime to plot terrorist attacks and assassinations in the West.”

Fox News wrote:

“Iranian-backed plots have surged in recent years, particularly in 2018, when the NCRI logged 10 instances of terror plots or terror-related arrests against Iranian officials. The most significant was the foiled plot to bomb an annual gathering of Iranian dissident groups (under the umbrella of the NCRI) in Paris last year — an event that was attended by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. An Iranian diplomat based in Vienna was one of four arrested for the plot.”

A Network of Spies and Terrorists

The Iranian opposition group has written extensively on the Iranian regime’s use of embassies abroad to coordinate terror attacks against their political opponents.

In 2018 alone, authorities in Europe and the US foiled terror attacks or arrested Iranian agents on 10 separate occasions. Many of the attacks were planned against the MEK, the largest opposition group. Among the countries affected were the US, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Albania.

In one of the most nefarious plots, the Iranian regime planned to detonate a bomb at the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering event in Paris. The event drew an attendance of more than 100,000 politicians, journalists, and activists from across the globe, including President Trump’s personal lawyer, former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani.

An Iranian diplomat working out of the regime’s embassy in Vienna allegedly provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with 500g of explosive material and detailed instructions of how to carry out the attack. The diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, was working for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and was tasked with coordinating attacks against the MEK in Europe.

The incident in Paris was one of several high-profile assassinations and terror attacks. In July, the Dutch government expelled two Iranian diplomats accused of orchestrating the murder of two Iranian dissidents living in the Netherlands. A similar incident occurred in Denmark when authorities exposed a plan to murder another opposition activist.

The European Union imposed sanctions against the regime in January 2019, following the spate of incidents.

Europe Still Reluctant to Take a Firmer Stance Against the Iranian Regime

Despite the string of terror plots exposed on European soil, the European Union has still been reluctant to take a firmer stance against the Iranian regime.

It has fallen to the US president to lead the charge against the bloodthirsty dictatorship in Iran, a mantle he has taken up with gusto. Last month, the Trump administration announced the inclusion of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on its foreign terror list (FTO).

The listing, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, criminalizes any American provides assistance, whether financial, physical or advice, to the organization. Given the IRGC controls 90% of the Iranian economy, it will have significant repercussions for any company of individual conduction business in Iran.

In his statement, Mike Pompeo said: “This is an effort by the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran – the president, Rouhani, who’s the president of Iran, is permitting to take place, where they’re going to Europe and killing people on European soil. This is unacceptable.”

Where Next?

In its press conference, the NCRI took the opportunity to call on European governments to follow the US’s lead and designate the IRGC as a terror organization. It also urged European nations to close Iranian embassies on their soil to limit the Iranian terror capabilities and disrupt the web of Iranian terrorism and espionage that has spread across Europe in the last 12 months.

Jafarzadeh also called on the United States to take measures to ensure the Iranian regime doesn’t divert funds away from the IRGC into the MOIS. It urged the Trump administration to follow up its IRGC designation by adding the MOIS to its FTO list. In doing so, it would ensure the maximum disruption to the Iranian terror machine.

John Bolton, Trump’s National Security Advisor, told journalists, “[The policy] is to put maximum pressure on the regime to change its behavior, and I think it’s working, and I think that’s what they’re worried about.”

The US’s maximum pressure policy is having its intended effect. Now it is time to tighten the screws and further limit the finances and resources at the regime’s disposal.

Staff writer