While many Western governments and international organizations have spoken out in support of the Iranian people and expressed concern about the ayatollahs’ bloody crackdown on protests, Western democracies have refrained from holding the clerical regime accountable for its crimes.
Instead, they continue to prioritize other political objectives, such as reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
While the West dithers over supporting Iranian protesters and dealing with Tehran’s nefarious activities, the Iranian people pay a high price. So far, the regime has killed at least 750 civilians, detained tens of thousands, and injured tens of thousands more. Yet, the people continue to return to the streets to demand their basic rights.
While the Iranian people have the full capacity to overthrow the regime and bring about democratic change, the West can play an important role by ending the appeasement policy that legitimizes the regime and allows it to suppress the people. This was emphasized during a Senate hearing on March 16, when several prominent US politicians explained how the West’s appeasement policy has harmed the Iranian people.
Iranian opposition President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), proposed several initiatives at the meeting to support the Iranian people’s desire to establish a democratic republic.
Former National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton said during a Senate luncheon, “If we abandon sanctions if we return the money that has been frozen and the assets that have been seized since the United States’ withdrawal in 2018, it will be a stimulus to the Ayatollahs.”
Former Democratic Senator Joe Liberman joined Republican colleagues on Thursday in calling on the Biden administration to declare the JCPOA “dead” and “walk away from those negotiations and invoke the so-called snapback sanctions under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which will restore Iran’s conventional arms embargo and ensure restrictions on their missile program.”
Senator Lieberman also called on the US government to work “with all of our allies to sanction the IRGC as a terrorist organization” in his Senate speech.
Although blacklisting the IRGC and suspending negotiations with Tehran would undoubtedly benefit the Iranian people and the rest of the world, Western powers should also recognize Iranian citizens’ struggle to overthrow the regime and recognize their right to self-defense against the brutal regime.
Recognizing this right will send a message to the Iranian people that the international community stands with them at this critical juncture.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTub