The Belga news agency recently reported that a Belgian court issued a ruling in the case against the four Iranian agents who are currently standing trial for their involvement in the foiled terrorist plot against the annual gathering of the Iranian opposition in Paris last summer. The accused terrorists will now face additional prison time for their roles in the terrorist plot against the MEK The principal Iranian opposition.

The ruling was issued by the First Branch of the Criminal Court in Antwerp and emphasizes that Assadollah Assadi and the three other Iranian agents who are standing trial were all complicit in the attempted terrorist attack on the gathering of the MEK and Iranian Resistance.

Foiled Terrorist Attack on MEK and Iranian Resistance

Assadi is currently standing trial for masterminding the attempted attack outside of Paris last June. Assadi was one of the senior Iranian regime diplomats stationed at the Iranian embassy in Vienna, Austria. He was also a known agent of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and has used his position as a diplomat to conduct espionage and terrorist activities on behalf of the Iranian regime since 2014.

Assadollah Assadi since 2014 has been head of all intelligence stations of the MOIS in #Europe . Given the sensitivity of the operation, he was instructed to be personally engaged in the execution of the plan.#ProsecuteAssadi #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists #Iran pic.twitter.com/0yVCvBwBgk

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 12, 2018

On June 30th, 2018, an Iranian couple was arrested in Brussels with 500 grams of TATP explosives in their possession. The couple, Amir Sadouni and Nasimeh Nomani, was en route to the Free Iran gathering in Villepinte, France, and claimed to be MEK supporter. Upon their arrest, the couple admitted that they were planning to deliver a bomb to the gathering and said that the explosives were personally handed to them by Assadollah Assadi. Video surveillance confirmed their story, and Assadi was arrested later that day, along with a fourth accomplice, who was waiting outside of the gathering in Villepinte.

In October, French authorities concluded that the Iranian regime was responsible for orchestrating the foiled attack and froze the assets of two Iranian regime security agents associated with the incident.

The Free Iran Gathering

 

The Iranian opposition’s annual gathering attracts tens of thousands of attendees and hundreds of politicians, dignitaries, and world leaders every year. Last year’s event, entitled “Free Iran: the Alternative” was attended by dignitaries from the U.S., Europe and Middle East, including President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Maryam Rajavi, advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani, former U.S. Congressman Newt Gingrich, former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, former Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, and dozens more. Several of the American and European politicians who spoke at the gathering later filed lawsuits against the Iranian regime for attempted murder.

A Terrorist Regime

The foiled attack in France last June was one of several attempted terrorist attacks against the MEK perpetrated by the regime last year. In 2018, the Iranian regime and its agents were implicated in terrorist activities and plots against the MEK in Albania, France, the United States, and Denmark.

MEP Describes Visit to MEK’s Residence -Ashraf 3

Earlier this month, the European Union imposed sanctions on the MOIS and two of its agents because of their involvement in terrorist activities.

Staff Writer

 

An article in International Policy Digest by Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan charts the Iranian regime’s increasing fears of the main opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK / Mujahedin-e Khalgh) and demonstrates that this increasing fear is a sign of changing times in the Iranian political landscape.

The Status Quo has Become ‘Untenable’

Professor Sheehan, the incoming Executive Director at the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Baltimore, wrote:

“There are growing signs that the status quo has become untenable”, in response to renewed US sanctions, continuous protests at home, a failing economy, and increasing international isolation, “the regime is finding it much more difficult to contain the situation”.

“The most defining aspect of Iran in 2018 has been the continuation of anti-government protests”, Sheehan suggests. Ahead of 2018, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)’s president-elect, Maryam Rajavi called for a year of protest and it has not disappointed.

The nationwide uprisings of January engulfed Iran’s cities and towns, expanding to more than 140 cities in all 31 provinces. According to Sheehan, it “shook the ruling theocracy to the core”. Confronted with such intense public outcry, the regime arrested political dissidents in the thousands, sentencing many to extreme punishments and lengthy jail terms.

The Iranian Regime Sentences Six to Between 8 and 18 Years in Prison for Protesting

“That movement has continued in different shapes and forms over the past 11 months”, Sheehan writes, “despite a heavy crackdown, waves of arrests, and long prison terms for protesters.”

Key Iranian industries have suffered been racked with strikes, including the logistics sector, education, the retail industry, and manufacturing. Many sectors were protesting appalling working conditions, unpaid wages, and the pandemic corruption that ravages the Iranian business and political landscape.

Anti-government Protests

Beyond poor working conditions and unpaid wages, the protests that have rippled across Iran in 2018 have taken a decidedly anti-government tone.

“In July, a five-day wave of anti-government protests proved to be the largest since January and encompassed more than a dozen cities throughout the country”, wrote Sheehan.

Similar anti-government took place across Iran’s major cities in June and August. “What makes recent and ongoing protests different from earlier movements”, Sheehan explained, “is that they are not limited to one part of the country or to any specific demographics.

What began as a grassroots movement among the “hungry and unemployed”, has spread to the urban middle classes, the working-class factory workers, college-educated students, inner-city shopkeepers, and younger segments of the population.

Iran: Steel Workers, Factory Workers, Drivers Strike Despite Regime Suppression

Sheehan writes, “at first, the protests were over dire economic hardship, exorbitant prices of basic staples, high unemployment, runaway inflation and the lack of some of the most basic social services including running water and electricity. But protests quickly became political with people calling for an end to dictatorship”.

Among the protestors demands now are an end to the financing of foreign terrorism, missile proliferation, and the frequent and blatant human rights abuses. The protestors are calling for more civil freedom, an end to institutionalized discrimination and sexism, and the eradication of regime corruption.

What began as an economic protest movement evolved into a defiantly anti-regime movement.

The Iranian Economy is in Free-fall

“The Iranian economy is in free-fall and is getting more precarious”, Sheehan writes. “The national currency, the rial, has lost about 75 percent of its value in the past seven to eight months”.

What makes the current economic crisis worse is that it has come at a time when the Iranian regime was still exporting 2.7 million barrels of oil a day and received $100 billion of unfrozen assets.

For the country to be in economic collapse despite this significant windfall and oil revenue demonstrates extensive economic mismanagement and pandemic corruption.

“The main cause of the economic collapse is the regime’s policies”, Sheehan explains, “the lion’s share of the government budget is allocated to the apparatus of domestic oppression and to financing terror and warmongering abroad”. Sheehan cites payments of around $12 to $15 billion annually to the Assad regime in Syria.

Dec 12 – Ahvaz, SW #Iran
National Steel Group employees rallying for the 33rd day outside the Khuzestan governor's office, protesting delayed paychecks & corrupt policies.
They chanting"
"Neither threats, nor prison are useful anymore"; #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/FfKOp7sxUI

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) December 12, 2018

Corruption and economic mismanagement were even explicitly mentioned by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in his speech on August 13^th. He referred to the plunder of $18 billion as an example of some of the embezzlement and corruption that plagues his regime.

But Khamenei is nothing more than a hypocrite. In public, he may lament the state of the Iranian economy, but the Supreme Leader has a personal slush fund worth $95 billion according to Reuters.

Sanctions Will be Effective

Given that the Iranian economy is under the control of 14 financial holdings, all of which are managed by the Supreme Leader and the regime itself, US and international economic sanctions will be able to end the stream of revenue flowing directly into the mullahs’ pockets and impact their ability to funnel finances to international terrorists and militia groups.

“This is one of the greatest sources of anxiety for Tehran”, Sheehan writes. Under President Trump, the US has ended its decades-long strategy of appeasement. Trump and Pompeo have indicated that they will use sanctions to stop Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism and human rights abuses.

The State Department has reintroduced strict economic sanctions on the Iranian auto-industry, financial institutions, and energy sector. The US has vowed to bring further sanctions to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero.

“The regime has been at a total impasse”, Sheehan writes, “since retreating from its strategic policies would mean major reform”— which Khamenei is adamant he will not do.

As Khamenei and Rouhani continue to dig their heels, the public has only grown louder in its demands for political reform and regime change. “The protests have been a game changer in the Iranian political landscape”, Sheehan exclaimed.

The Regime has Intensified Efforts Against the Opposition

In response to the impasse Tehran finds itself in, the regime has targeted the MEK and other Iranian political opposition groups. “The MEK’s modern, tolerant and democratic view on Islam has been the antithesis to the Islamic fundamentalism” presented by the mullahs.

Iran State Media Acknowledges MEK Can Topple Regime

“The ayatollahs were bent on annihilating it as a social and political force before they even took power”, Sheehan writes. Following their rise to power, the mullahs unleashed an “unbridled terror” campaign against the MEK and their supporters.

“Tens of thousands of MEK activists, men, and women, have fallen victim to brutal crackdowns. In the summer of 1988 alone… some 30,000 political prisoners— primarily MEK activists— were massacred”, Sheehan describes.

Today, the support and influence of the MEK are evident across Iran. The group has exposed some of the mullahs’ most secretive and nefarious activities, including their secret nuclear program.

Amnesty International Holds Press Conference Following its Landmark Report on 1988 Massacre

The MEK’s network of experts and underground sources has led to the exposure of over 100 “clandestine nuclear projects in Iran”, Sheehan claims. The MEK’s network has also played a crucial role in exposing the mullahs’ routine and frequent human rights abuses.

A Coordinated Campaign of Oppression

In response to the MEK’s surging power and influence, Tehran demanded international governments suppress the MEK as a precursor for good relations with Tehran. “Tehran demanded that Western powers blacklist the MEK”, Sheehan explains.

 

The MEK went on to challenge these blacklistings in international courts and were eventually delisted after courts ruled there was not even a shred of evidence connecting the group with terrorism.

“Interestingly, an impressive group of mostly senior former officials who held key national security posts in four US administrations filed an amicus brief in support of the MEK’s petition”, Sheehan writes.

“In the international arena, the MEK gained enormous respect among American and European politicians”, Sheehan continues, “a number of MEK allies hold prominent positions in the Trump administration, while the MEK itself enjoys solid bipartisan support in the US Congress”.

In 2016, following a particularly violent and aggressive persecution of the MEK in Iraq from the Iranian regime, several thousand MEK members were safely transferred to Albania. Following the outbreak of MEK-organised and endorsed protests in Iran in December 2017 and January 2018, the regime has targeted these members living in Albania.

Giuliani Issues Statement in Wake of Failed Terrorist Attack on NCRI Gathering

Tehran intensified its terrorist activities in Europe and the US. On June 30^th, Belgian law enforcement authorities foiled a state-sponsored Iranian terrorist plot against the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering event.

A Belgian-Iranian couple was arrested traveling to the event with 500g of explosive matter. Their intention was to detonate the device at the event, which was attended by delegations of high-profile politicians and journalists from around the world.

President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, was the keynote speaker at the event and had traveled to Paris from Albania to be there.

The MEK’s investigation found that the Iranian embassy in Austria orchestrated the attack. The diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who was later arrested in Germany near the Austrian border, provided the couple with the explosive material and was the mastermind behind the operation.

German prosecutors later confirmed that Assadi was a member of the Iranian intelligence agency (MOIS) and was acting under the supervision of senior members of the Iranian regime.

Following the clear violation of international law and deliberate plotting of a terrorist attack on European soil, the French government froze MOIS assets and expelled Iranian diplomats from Paris.

There were other plots coordinated against the MEK. “In March… an attack was foiled that would have targeted a gathering of MEK members in Tirana, the capital of Albania, for the Iranian New Year celebration”, Sheehan writes.

A car bomb was to be used. Two Iranians who had arrived in the country under the guise of journalists were arrested over their involvement in the attack’s planning and coordination.

The @StateDept official dismissed the misinformation campaign initiated by #Iran-ian regime's FM, #Zarif, to put the blame on the victim(the #MEK) for the foiled terrorist attack on #FreeIran2018 rally in Paris. #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists pic.twitter.com/QPzdMRTRgx

— Ka Veh (@kaveh20092009) July 11, 2018

Similarly, in August, the US Justice Department announced it had detained two Iranian agents suspected of collecting information on the MEK ahead of a possible terror attack.

Once more, in October, Danish authorities arrested an assassin working for the MOIS. The Iranian government had planned to kill a dissident on Danish soil, but the plan was thwarted before it could be executed.

Each plan followed the same objectives; to attack and cause significant loss of life to the MEK and the Iranian opposition.

The Battle for Public Minds

Alongside the aggressive terror campaign against the MEK, Tehran organized a demonization campaign designed to vilify the MEK in the eyes of the public. Sheehan explains, “the objective has been to show that no democratic alternative is available and that dealing with this regime or looking for change within it is the only option for the West”.

The regime uses social media, state-run news outlets, and payments to international journalists to discredit the MEK. In one case, a regime-affiliated individual offered the head of the Mackenzie Institute $80,000 to publish a hit piece against the MEK.

NCRI Report Shows the Iranian Regime Used Channel 4 to Further its Objectives and Sway Public Opinion

One-sided stories against the MEK have gradually seeped into international media outlets’ reporting. The Guardian, MSNBC, Channel 4 News, Al Jazeera, and the Independent have all echoed regime talking points in their coverage and published regime-fed lies about the MEK and the Iranian opposition.

The Committee of Anglo-Iranian Lawyers Issue a Statement on the Guardian’s MEK Hit Piece

“The same individuals are quoted in each of the articles and questionable evidence that demonstrates a clearly pro-regime bias is used to source the so-called facts”, Sheehan writes. Many of the articles glaze over or completely ignore the Iranian regime’s state-sponsored terror activities or deplorable human rights record.

“For anyone who has followed Iranian affairs, it is evident that the content of the pieces are almost identical to the allegations and smears that Tehran has been making against the MEK for years”, Sheehan explained.

The regime also relies on its social media capabilities to spread misinformation about the MEK. Twitter recently detected 770 regime-affiliated accounts, many of which were posing as foreign citizens or international journalists to deliberately influence public opinion. The accounts had published more than 1.1 million Tweets promoting regime talking points, slandering the MEK, and even attempting to influence the US elections.

MSNBC’s MEK Coverage Lacks Accuracy and Objectivity

Sheehan predicts that the regime will only intensify its efforts to persecute and attack the MEK in the near future. “Tehran is likely to respond to the challenge by growing even more focused on the MEK. This means more repression at home and terror plots abroad”, he writes.

Sheehan argues that it is the responsibility of the international community to give voice to the Iranian people and lend their moral support to the anti-regime protestors and the MEK. With this support, Sheehan supposes that 2018 could come full circle. “2018 may well end as it began: With Tehran’s theocratic rulers consumed with an existential revolt and brave anti-government demonstrators insisting on democracy in the streets”.

Staff Writer

 

 

 

 

On Friday, November 23rd, members of the Iranian diaspora, supporters of the Iranian resistance and allies and sympathizers to the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) gathered in Copenhagen to call for a stern response to Iranian aggression.

A Terrorist Machine

The protest was prompted after 2018 saw a surge in Iranian aggression across Europe. In early 2018, during the Persian New Year celebrations, Albanian authorities foiled a plot to attack the MEK members living in exile.

Then, in late June, another plot was foiled. An Iranian diplomat working at the Iranian embassy in Austria provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with an explosive device, along with detailed instructions of where to detonate the car bomb. Its target was the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering event, where more than 100,000 supporters of the Iranian opposition had gathered in Paris.

Following an investigation by French authorities and the MEK, it was concluded that senior members of the regime leadership had been personally involved in the planning and execution of the foiled Paris attack.

Iranian Embassies: A Tumour in the Heart of Europe

The regime’s nefarious and dangerous plots were not restricted to European soil. Shortly after the unraveling of the Paris attack, the United States government detained two regime agents on espionage charges.

The men had been gathering intelligence against the MEK in the US. It is likely that the pair were involved in reconnaissance work ahead of a planned terror attack on the MEK.

Europeans are Calling for Action

At the protest in Denmark, protestors braved the Scandinavian cold and held placards reading, “we want regime change in Iran!” Others carried images of the MEK’s leader, president-elect Maryam Rajavi.

The supporters of the #Iranprotests & #NCRI gathering in front of Copenhagen Municipality building against executions in Iran & demanding 4 adequate measures against #Iran state sponsor terrorism. #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists#BlackListMOIS@GermanyDiplo@anderssamuelsen@USUN pic.twitter.com/ARpZA4BbxW

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) November 23, 2018

The protests mirrored many of those seen across Iran in recent months. The most recent of which has seen the workers at Haft Tappeh sugarcane factory go on strike and call for the toppling of Rouhani and Khamenei’s evil regime.

The protestors also urged the EU and Western governments to coordinate a coherent and united response to Iranian terrorism. The protestors called on the EU to include the Iranian regime in its terrorist blacklist.

This sentiment has been echoed by many prominent European politicians in recent weeks. On Monday, 150 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) signed a document calling for the expulsion of regime intelligence agents from embassies on European soil.

Former Italian Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, has also publicly advocated a policy of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime.

#ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists is a MUST for EU Member States and for all Governments truthfully engaged in fighting terrorists and their supporters @GlobalCRL @HandsOffCain_It https://t.co/zLjInn2HXe

— Giulio Terzi (@GiulioTerzi) November 24, 2018

Those Responsible Must Be Held to Account

Among the pleas of the protestors in Copenhagen was the need for all those accused of state-sponsored terrorism to face trial in Europe.

Assadollah Assadi, the regime diplomat who orchestrated the Paris plot, was extradited to Belgium to face trial. However, his defense lawyers argued the move was illegal. They suggested that his diplomatic status, granted to him under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, meant he could not stand trial for his crimes.

The people of Europe evidently understand the need for a coordinated and firm response. Without it, it is their lives the European heads of state are putting at risk. Should the Iranian regime succeed in executing a terror attack in the heart of Europe, the casualties will be numerous, with many European citizens caught up in the collateral damage of the regime’s war with the MEK.

Staff Writer

On November 20th, 2018, Townhall published a piece from Kenneth Blackwell, the former US ambassador to the UN. In his piece, Blackwell called for an international response to Iranian aggression.

Blackwell began his article by drawing attention to the UN General Assembly’s resolution on November 15th which denounced the Iranian regime for its systematic widespread human rights abuses. The resolution means that the General Assembly will vote on a censure next month.

The “summer of blood”

The Iranian regime’s human rights abuses have been well-documented. The mullahs and their Supreme Leader Khamenei launched a vicious campaign to eliminate the regime’s political opposition.

First on their list of political opponents was the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) and its members. This cumulated in the “summer of blood” of 1988. In just one summer, a period of fewer than five months, the regime and its death squad systematically executed more than 30,000 MEK members in regime custody.

Today, the regime continues to run roughshod over the human rights of the Iranian population. Politically motivated arrests are common- and the conditions many prisoners are subject to in prison, which include routine torture sessions and beatings from guards, has prompted many prisoners to go on hunger strike in protest.

Just a week before the International Day against the Death Penalty, the Iranian regime executed a woman who was a juvenile at the time of the alleged crime.
October marked by execution of a woman in #Iranhttps://t.co/4SWpOA7xVA#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/A4IyLYI1Hf

— NCRIWomen'sCommittee (@womenncri) November 20, 2018

Executions are also commonplace in Iran, including in cases where the alleged perpetrator committed their crime as a minor, under the age of 18. Between January and June 2018, the regime executed 176 executions. Among them were prisoners held on drug charges, politically motivated charges, and juvenile offenders.

Blackwell went on to condemn the regime’s harsh treatment of protestors. He cited the regime’s arrests of truck drivers, teachers, merchants, students and nurses as particularly concerning examples where citizens found themselves imprisoned for exercising their right to protest.

.@Maryam_Rajavi: hails the strikers, calls for supporting them
The mullahs, fearful of continuation of the truck drivers’ strike, threaten them to execution,arresting dozens of drivers. #IStandWithMaryamRajavi#IranRegimeChange#IranProtests@JavaidRehmanhttps://t.co/psW0xoMWh7 pic.twitter.com/R3Q0TPntnt

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) September 30, 2018

A Terrorist Machine

In addition to the regime’s campaign of repression and violent suppression at home, the Iranian regime has launched an international terror campaign. In 2018, the MEK reported that the regime leadership was involved in the planning and execution of terrorist plots in Albania, France, and the US.

Iranian Embassies: A Tumour in the Heart of Europe

The most severe of these attacks was the regime’s attempt to detonate a car bomb at the annual gathering of the MEK and its supporters in Paris. An Iranian diplomat named Assadollah Assadi provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with explosive material to attack the gathering, where delegations of high-profile politicians gathered from around the world, including former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani.

The Demonization Campaign

Blackwell also condemned the regime’s systematic and deliberate demonization campaign against the MEK. Blackwell writes, “in lockstep with its terrorist plots, the regime has also stepped up its demonization campaign and vilification campaigns”.

Twitter closed 770 regime-affiliated accounts in September for deliberately attempting to manipulate public opinion against the MEK abroad. Many of the accounts posed as foreign journalists or American citizens in an attempt to appear more legitimate, however, they spewed regime-created propaganda attacking the MEK with lies and falsehoods.

#Iran Regime Used Fake #Twitter Accounts to Push Its Agenda
Hundreds of Iran-based Twitter accounts were posing as foreign journalists and US citizens in order to push pro-Regime messages until they were suspended earlier this year…https://t.co/ApJEKVKxTB pic.twitter.com/Kyz85DAZaD

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 18, 2018

Blackwell continues, “data released by Twitter shows that anti-MEK tweets by the regime’s intelligence agents in 2018 jumped to a total that was six times higher than the previous six years combined.”

He also pointed at the regime of employing “pseudo-journalists”, like Arron Merat who recently wrote a hit piece on the MEK for the Guardian. These are regime-affiliated agents who work as journalists for foreign media outlets, spreading lies and misinformation to further the regime’s interests.

The Committee of Anglo-Iranian Lawyers Issue a Statement on the Guardian’s MEK Hit Piece

Despite the Regime’s Best Efforts, the MEK Grows Stronger

Despite these underhanded methods, Blackwell writes, “the movement’s [the Iranian opposition] organizational prowess is growing”. He describes the MEK’s resistance units of young men and women who coordinate protests across Iran and mobilize the Iranian population.

“Iran’s people are demanding democratic freedoms and an end to the extremism, corruption, and mismanagement that has devastated their living conditions”, Blackwell writes. “The international community cannot remain nonaligned. It is time to side with the Iranian people in their quest for democracy and a brighter future.”

Blackwell concludes by stating that the regime’s human rights abuses must be referred to the UN Security Council for urgent action because it “would be the clearest sign yet that the international community supports the Iranian people’s right to resist a tyrannical regime that systematically violates their human rights.”

Staff Writer

 

On Monday, November 19th, members of the Iranian diaspora, supporters of the MEK, Iran’s principal opposition organization, gathered in Brussels to call for firm action following the Iranian regime’s string of foiled terror plots on European soil. The protests took place in front of the headquarters of the European Union as the Council of Ministers met inside.

End of the protest.
The message to EU leaders:
Ensure EU citizens security and put a stop the terror machine of the Iranian regime.
How ? : #BlackListMOIS + #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists @FedericaMog take action, pressure #iran regime.
Support iranian people#IranRegimeChange pic.twitter.com/7dXqSHQy2t

— Sourosh Abouthalebi (@SouroshA) November 19, 2018

A Surge in Iranian Terror Output

2018 has seen a marked increase in the Iranian regime’s terror operations. Since January, there have been several attacks planned in Albania, Denmark, France, and the US, the most severe of which saw an attack involving a car laden with explosives due to attack the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran’s (MEK’s) annual Grand Gathering event in Paris. Fortunately, the plot was thwarted in the late stages by European authorities.

#Brussels: Iranians gathering in front of EU asking for adequate measures against #Iran state sponsor terrorism. EU sanctions are necessary. @FedericaMog must speak up and condemn these terrorists plots targeting EU citizens.#ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists#BlackListMOIS pic.twitter.com/af4sk24kCR

— Sourosh Abouthalebi (@SouroshA) November 19, 2018

Protestors in Brussels recognize that these attacks pose a significant threat to members of the Iranian opposition, the MEK living abroad. They also constitute a significant danger for citizens of Europe.

Many of the regime’s terror attacks have involved explosive devices planted in public places. These types of attacks kill indiscriminately and wreak extensive destruction on the local populations as well as the intended targets of the regime’s attacks; the MEK.

A Corrupt Regime

The exiled Iranians that gathered in Brussels also expressed their solidarity with the workers within Iran calling for an end to corruption. Recent strikes in Iran featured teachers, sugar cane factory workers, steel workers, truck drivers, and merchants. They all protested appalling working conditions and epidemic corruption among the Iranian leadership that is crippling the nation’s industries.

Where to go from here?

To end the Iranian regime’s terror activities abroad, the EU must first cripple its espionage network.

Thanks to a report from the MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the world is now aware of the nefarious role Iranian embassies and diplomats play in this espionage network.

In the case of the foiled attack in Paris, a diplomat working at the regime’s Austrian embassy was the mastermind behind the planned car bomb attack. Assadollah Assadi was arrested by German authorities traveling back to Austria after he provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with the necessary explosive material for use in the attack.

150 MEPs Call for Expelling #Iran Intelligence Agents From EUhttps://t.co/cbNohM9Avl #FreeIran2018 #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists pic.twitter.com/XXutH5nlEM

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 19, 2018

As a result, 150 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) signed a statement calling for the immediate expulsion of all regime intelligence agents from the EU.

Addressing the protestors in Brussels today, Hamad Reza Taaheerzadeh spoke of the need to expel Iran’s terrorist diplomats from the embassy enclaves across Europe.

#Brussels : Iranian artist and activist, NCRI member @Taaherzadeh speaking.
He insist on the necessity to #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists pic.twitter.com/HdqJKpk82Q

— Sourosh Abouthalebi (@SouroshA) November 19, 2018

Counter-Terrorism and Middle East Specialist, Claude Moniquet, also addressed the crowds. He told protestors that the Iranian opposition now has a unique chance to “condemn the Iranian regime and put the light on the true nature of this regime and [its] criminal behavior”.

There are currently several Iranians in detention in Belgium, including Assadollah Assadi, awaiting trial over their involvement in the planned terror attacks.

EU Sanctions are Necessary

The protestors called for Europe to follow the US’s lead and introduce strict sanctions against the Iranian regime.

They argued that only by adding the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) to the EU’s terrorist blacklist and reintroducing strict sanctions against its leadership can Europe bring an end to the Iranian regime’s campaign of terror.

Foiled Terror Plot Underscores The Need For Maximum Pressure On Iran, says former Italian Foreign Minister @GiulioTerzi https://t.co/nQev3SLZCh… #terrorism #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorist @GlobalCRL @NCRIUS

— Giulio Terzi (@GiulioTerzi) November 19, 2018

Their comments are echoed by leading EU politicians, including the Former Italian Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, who believes a policy of maximum pressure towards Iran is the only solution.

Staff Writer

On Monday, 150 Members or European Parliament released a joint statement condemning the Iranian regime for its domestic human rights violations and its international terrorist plots. Gérard Deprez, Chair of Friends of a Free Iran in European Parliament, wrote the statement, and it was signed by MEPs from all six major political groups in European Parliament, representing 27 Member States. Signatories include 4 Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament and 14 Committee and Delegation Chairs.

The statement called attention to the regime’s disturbing use of the death penalty. “The country has maintained the highest number of executions in the world per capita during the presidency of the so-called ‘moderate’ Hassan Rouhani,” the statement read. “According to Amnesty International’s Global Report on the Death Penalty, more than half of all recorded executions in 2017 took place in Iran. It is also the leading executioner of underage offenders.”

The statement also expressed concern for the treatment of women in Iran, saying, “Women are frequently harassed by morality police for the way they dress, and hundreds of women are arrested every day for improper veiling or ‘bad hijab.’”

The MEPS noted that major uprisings and anti-regime protests have taken place in Iran over the past year and continue to occur. The people are demanding fundamental change. According to the statement, “The regime’s officials have acknowledged the role of ‘resistance units’ of the opposition PMOI [MEK] in organizing protests and nationwide strikes.

Foiled Terror Plot Underscores The Need For Maximum Pressure On Iran, says former Italian Foreign Minister @GiulioTerzi https://t.co/nQev3SLZCh… #terrorism #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorist @GlobalCRL @NCRIUS

— Giulio Terzi (@GiulioTerzi) November 19, 2018

Gérard Deprez

“Unable to defeat the protesters at home, the regime launched a new wave of terrorism against the democratic opposition activists in Europe and in the United States.”

The statement goes on to describe the various terrorist plots attempted by the Iranian regime over the past year. “In March 2018, a car-bomb plot targeting the Persian New Year gathering of Iranian dissidents in Tirana was foiled, and two men were arrested by the police,” the statement reads.

The statement follows with a summary of the regime’s terrorist plots against the MEK in France, the United States, and Denmark:

“On 1 July 2018, German police arrested an Iranian diplomat from the embassy in Vienna and charged him with terrorist offenses. He was later extradited to Belgium, and he is on trial accused of handing over a highly-explosive device to an Iranian-Belgian couple who were planning to bomb the opposition NCRI’s Free Iran gathering in Paris in June.

Giuliani Issues Statement in Wake of Failed Terrorist Attack on NCRI Gathering

In August 2018, two Iranian agents were arrested by the FBI and charged with spying on the PMOI [MEK]  in the US and preparing assassination plots.

“In October, the French government officially sanctioned Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and accused it of being behind the Paris bomb plot. French ministers stressed: ‘This extremely serious act, which was intended to take place on our soil, cannot go without a response.’

The French Government Confirms “Without any Doubt” the Iranian Regime was Behind the Foiled Terror Attack

“Denmark foiled a new Iranian terror plot on its soil in October. The E.U.’s silence in the face of brutal human rights violations in Iran and lack of any response to the serious terror plots in Europe is unacceptable.”

The MEPs conclude the statement with a call to hold the regime accountable for its terrorist plots and to expel all regime intelligence agents from Europe. They also state that all relations with Iran should be conditioned upon “an improvement of human rights and women’s rights, and a halt to executions.”

Gérard Deprez, Chair of Friends of a Free Iran, emphasized this in regard to Iran: “Human rights in Iran cannot be compromised or marginalized on the excuse of political considerations, trade or the nuclear deal. Any expansion of political and economic relations with Iran must be conditional to a clear progress on human rights, women’s rights and a halt to executions.”

Staff Writer

Giulio Terzi, the former Italian Foreign Minister and former Italian ambassador to the United States, penned a piece for the Federalist on the need for international pressure against the Iranian regime.

Another Foiled Terror Plot Underscores The Need For Maximum Pressure On Iran#ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists #IranTerror@DanishMFA @GiulioTerzi https://t.co/It86LU1Zf9

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) November 12, 2018

The article, entitled “Another Foiled Terror Plot Underscores the Need for Maximum Pressure on Iran”, laid out several key ways governments could assist the Iranian people and put the mullahs clerical regime under pressure.

A String of Failed Attacks

Terzi began by outlining the spate of foiled terror attacks on European soil that have been traced back to the Iranian regime’s leadership. The most recent of which was a foiled assassination attempt on Danish soil.

Following June’s failed Paris attack, in which a car laden with explosives was planned to detonate at the annual Grand Gathering of the Iranian opposition (MEK), the French authorities carried out an investigation into the regime’s terror capabilities.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the French government was able to conclude “without any doubt” that the Iranian regime had been involved in the planning and execution of the attack. As a result, Macron’s administration expelled an Iranian diplomat from the Paris embassy. It has also refused to name an ambassador to Tehran and seized assets held by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) held on French soil.

Terzi suggests that these high-profile terror plots “demonstrate a pattern of Iranian behavior that goes well beyond these two incidents”. In addition to the attack planned in Paris and the foiled assassination attempt in Denmark, there have been numerous attacks coordinated against the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) and its members around the globe.

One such plot came during the Persian New Year celebrations in Spring of 2018. Two regime agents were arrested in Albania. The pair were planning to attack the MEK’s compound in the Albanian capital of Tirana, where the organization’s members live in exile.

The Plots May Have Failed but the Threat is not Gone

Terzi reminds the West that just because these attacks were thwarted does not mean the Iranian threat is gone.

“Iranian proxies like Hezbollah have killed hundreds of Western nationals over the years”, he wrote. The regime’s behaviour has not changed. If anything, Tehran has intensified its terror activities.

To curb the regime and end its destabilizing effect in the Middle East and beyond, Terzi recommends a policy of “maximum pressure” on the Iranian regime. Western heads of states tried to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels. The nuclear deal negotiated under the Obama administration sought to bribe the regime into ending its nuclear program and financing of foreign terror groups. But the deal failed.

The mullahs “basked in the international legitimacy” they were afforded, Terzi writes. The agreement failed to bring peace or stability to the Middle East. Instead, it just unlocked financial aid that the mullahs could use to further repress its own population and intensify its military ventures abroad.

Maximum Pressure

Terzi calls for a stronger stance against the regime. He cites the regime’s relentless persecution of the MEK and its leader, president-elect Maryam Rajavi as a reason why Europe and the US cannot stand idle.

Given the expanding protest movement inside Iran, Terzi suggests that Western governments pledge their support to the Iranian people. The MEK predicted that 2018 would be the year of protest and it has lived up to its name, with protests spreading across Iran’s key industries in a wave of discontent.

Terzi suggested that Western governments help the Iranian people “break through tough digital barriers erected by the regime in Iran”. The Broadcasting Board of Governors in the US is already doing this. It is expanding its reach to broadcast directly to the Iranian people.

A Unified Response

Terzi also called for a unified response from Western governments. “The more pressure Tehran faces from abroad, the more it will be compelled to focus on the fight within its borders”, he wrote.

As the latest round of US sanctions has come into effect, it remains unclear as to whether European governments will follow suit. If the EU does not, it could provide an outlet for the regime to bypass US sanctions, severely mitigating the effect they will have on leveraging the Iranian regime.

All Eyes Are on Iran Following A Surge in Terror Activities

Terzi called on European governments to apply pressure to the regime in several key ways. Firstly, he suggests the closure of Iranian embassies on European soul that have been engaged in illegal activities. “All Iranian embassies in Europe known to have provided diplomatic cover for terrorism on the continent should be shut down”, he explained.

Following their closure, any Iranian agents and diplomats known to have been involved in the planning and execution of terror activities should be held to account and prosecuted. Finally, any companies or private organization is known to have aided and abetted the training or funding of terrorism should be heavily sanctioned.

Terzi’s message is very clear. The time for appeasement is over. Only through severe, concrete steps can the West apply pressure to the Iranian regime to bring it in line with international law and end its terror activities across the world.

Terzi ended the piece with a message of unity and optimism. “Hopefully, they are also concrete steps toward a goal we can all unite behind: an end to Iran’s terrorism, warmongering and domestic repression”.

Staff Writer

On Monday, November 5th, the Washington Times ran a piece entitled “’Iran Doubles Down on Terror, Turmoil’ Against the West”. The piece, written by L. Todd Wood, highlighted the mounting danger the clerical regime poses to Western governments and their citizens.

'Iran Doubles Down on Terror, Turmoil' against the West https://t.co/ypU3prPFOf

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 5, 2018

Following the press conference held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the Iranian political opposition coalition which includes the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), on Friday, the international community has been buzzing with discussion over the increasing threat of the clerical regime.

Governments from across Europe and North America have turned their attention to the mullahs following the Danish government’s revelations in late October that it had foiled an Iranian state-sponsored plot to abduct and murder a dissident on its soil.

All Eyes on Iran

Wood writes, “many Americans are not aware of the extensive attempts at the violence that have happened in the recent past in the United States and Europe”, referring to the two Iranian regime agents arrested on US soil this summer and numerous foiled terror attacks in Europe.

The Danish Government Brands the Regime’s Foiled Terror Attack “Completely Unacceptable”

“Americans must become cognizant of the danger”, Wood urged. He argued this was essential for the neutralization of the Iranian threat. “Iran is the most significant existential threat currently facing America”, he wrote. With the public’s blessing, US politicians must face this threat in a forceful manner.

The NCRI Press Conference

In its press conference, the MEK and NCRI, outlined several strategies for confronting the regime’s international terror network.

Alireza Jafarzedah, a spokesperson for the Iranian opposition group, told those in attendance in Washington D.C. that European and US governments must close Iranian embassies on their soil and expel Iranian diplomats.

The Iranian Resistance Outlines Strategies for Confronting the Regime’s Terror Activites

The Iranian regime’s planned terror attacks in Europe, including a failed car bomb attack planned in Paris, have demonstrated that Iranian embassies are thinly veiled hubs of international terror and espionage.

In the failed Paris attack, Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat working at the Iranian embassy in Vienna, provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with the explosive material for use in the attack.

Jafarzedah called for an internationally coordinated and unified response to tackle the growing threat from Iran. In his mind, this means internationally coordinated and enforced sanctions aimed at crippling the Iranian regime’s exports and finances.

As the latest round of US sanctions takes effect, their impact remains to be seen. Several European governments remain determined to salvage the Iranian nuclear deal and have expressed their opposition to US sanctions.

This division will not stand. The regime’s recent spate of planned attacks has demonstrated that the regime has little regard for international law, the sovereignty of international governments, and the safety of their citizens.

Without a unified response from both Europe and the US, the regime can bypass sanctions and continue to orchestrate plots unimpeded. If one of these plots slips through the net and comes to fruition, the loss of life will be devastating, tragic, and utterly avoidable had the international community come together to neutralize the Iranian threat once and for all.

Staff Writer

On Friday, November 2nd, the deputy director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Alireza Jafarzedah, held a press conference in Washington DC ahead of the release of the new book entitled “Iran Doubles Down on Terror and Turmoil”. In the conference, he outlined the Iranian regime’s decision-making, planning, and execution of terror attacks abroad.

He also explored strategies for confronting the regime’s network of terror and detailed what the international community can do to prevent Iranian state-sponsored terror attacks occurring.

A Surge in State-Sponsored Terror Attacks

Jafarzedah drew attention to the increased volume of Iranian state-sponsored terror attacks over the last 12 months. In 2017, the Iranian regime planned and executed two state-sponsored terror attacks

However, in the first 11 months of 2018, Tehran has planned and attempted to carry out no less than eight terror plots on US and European soil.

Several of the most high-profile attacks included an attack in March against the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) in Albania. The regime’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) planned to detonate a truck bomb during the MEK’s Nowruz (Persian New Year) celebrations.

Three months later, the regime’s MOIS coordinated an attack on the MEK’s annual grand gathering event in Paris. More than 100,000 members of the Iranian resistance and their supporters attended the event, including delegations of prominent politicians from the US and Europe.

The plan was foiled when two MOIS agents were arrested. The pair had entered Albania under the guise of reporters. The president-elect of the Iranian resistance,  Maryam Rajavi, was present at the event, as was the former mayor of New York and lawyer to President Trump, Rudy Giuliani.

Jafarzedah detailed the MEK’s findings that a regime diplomat based at the Iranian embassy in Vienna provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with the explosive matter. The couple was instructed to detonate a car laden with explosives at the annual event.

The diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, was the MOIS station-chief in Vienna and responsible for coordinating terror attacks across Europe. Assadi was arrested by German authorities, the couple was detained whilst traveling in a car to the event in Paris armed with the explosives. Disaster was narrowly averted.

In response to the failed attack, the French government froze MOIS assets and expelled an Iranian diplomat from Paris over their involvement in the attack’s planning.

One thing is clear about #IranTerror surge: NO ROGUE TERRORIST OPERATIONS. Evidence show that Supreme Leader @khamenei_ir & @HassanRouhani were involved. 4 diplomats were implicated; 4 major terror plots in 6 months in 2018; that is one plot every 6 weeks in Europe & U.S.! pic.twitter.com/MNgc3LwCG3

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) November 3, 2018

Another plot was foiled in the US. Two Iranian regime agents were arrested in August. The pair had been monitoring the MEK with the intention of carrying out a “capture/kill” operation against MEK members.

Most recently, Danish authorities foiled a regime-orchestrated plot to assassinate an Iranian dissident on Danish soil. The Danish authorities arrested one suspect in connection to the plot. It also recalled the Danish ambassador to Iran.

Jafarzedah concluded that these plots were not rogue operations. He cited evidence that indicates the highest levels of the Iranian leadership were involved in the plots. 4 diplomats were implicated, based in three different countries. It is unfathomable to think that the Iranian leadership, including Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme Leader Khamenei, was not involved in the plots’ coordination.

The Web

Jafarzedah outlined the Iranian leadership’s decision-making web that coordinates these elaborate and damaging terror attacks.

Based on the MEK’s findings, Jafarzedah described how the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, headed by President Hassan Rouhani, coordinates terror attacks with the assistance of the heads of MOIS, IRGC Intelligence, Qods Forces and the Intelligence Coordination Council.

Why Now?

So, why is the regime ratcheting up its terror attacks now? Jafarzedah asserted that it is because of the increasing popularity and effectiveness of the MEK in Iran.

Why #terrorism surge against dissidents particularly the MEK? It is the uprising which is threatening the regime survival in Iran; The uprising has continued, spread, expanded & #MEK network acts as the engine for change. some 120,000 MEK members have been executed since 1981. pic.twitter.com/wFAGqAkDwb

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) November 3, 2018

Over the past 10 months, MEK-organised protests have broken out across 142 Iranian cities and hit many of Iran’s major sectors. The protests have also taken a far stronger anti-regime tone. Protestors’ slogans have centered on a rejection of the regime and its authoritarian and repressive ideologies.

Jafarzedah said that the terror attacks were a sign of the regime’s “utter desperation” in the face of mounting pressures both internally and externally.

Confronting the Regime’s State-Sponsored Terrorism

Jafarzedah recommended several strategies for containing and limiting the Iranian regime’s terror activities.

First and foremost, Jafarzedah recommended that all the regime agents be prosecuted under the full weight of US and European law.

Secondly, the US and European governments must expel all Iranian terrorist diplomats and shut down Iranian embassies in Europe. The involvement of several diplomats in the planning and coordination indicate that Iranian diplomatic activities must be put under the microscope.

The MEK has repeatedly asserted that Iranian embassies make up a barely-concealed espionage web through which the regime can plot terror attacks. It is only through shutting down these embassies that the regime’s nefarious activities can be stymied.

Finally, Jafarzedah asserted that international sanctions must be levied against the Iranian regime. By constricting the flow of money to the regime, the international community can end the regime’s financing and training of international terror groups.

Is the International Community Warming to the Idea?

Immediately following President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, European governments scrambled to salvage the deal. Even when the US announced its latest round of sanctions, European governments resisted them.

However, following the recent terror plots on European soil, including the Paris and Denmark attacks, the European community has warmed to the idea of possible sanctions.

Fox News reported that the Danish government is now calling for economic sanctions against Tehran. When the idea was floated at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, eight countries, including France and the UK expressed support for the idea.

The Danish Prime Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, expressed his pleasure. “I appreciate the support from my colleague Theresa May today. In close collaboration with [the] UK and other countries, we will stand up to Iran”, he said after a meeting with his counterpart from the UK.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his government stands with the European heads of state to end the regime’s assassination attempts on European soil.

Pompeo said, “that kind of behavior needs to stop, and we have offered our support and effort to help the Europeans in preventing these kinds of assassination attempts from taking place”.

here is what to do to confront Iran's #Terrorism pic.twitter.com/6Mii9ZfgcF

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) November 3, 2018

The MEK had suggested that in the face of increased regime terror attacks, the European community should begin to rethink its policy of “appeasement” with the Iranian regime. At the Friday press conference, Jafarzedeh said, “they [European governments] now have to look at these realities in a totally different light”.

The summer of 2018 could mark a turning point in international policy towards the Iranian regime. Should the European governments end their decades-long policy of appeasement towards the mullahs, they will find themselves under even more pressure.

Staff Writer

 

 

In an article in the Wall Street Journal on October 31^st, 2018, Matthew Dalton provided an in-depth look at the Iranian regime’s planned terror attack targetting MEK‘s annual gathering in Paris this summer.

The piece, entitled, “Bags of Cash and a Bomb Plot:  Inside a Covert Iranian Operation in Europe”, examines the events that led to the attack’s discovery and what regime mechanisms were involved in coordinating the attack.

A Meeting in Luxembourg

According to Dalton, a meeting took place on the terrace of a Luxembourg café in late June between Amir Saadouni and a gentleman known only to Mr. Saadouni as “Daniel”. Daniel had been Saadouni’s link to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence for several years. Daniel had made regular payments to Saadouni for information on a French opposition group that vehemently opposed the clerical regime in Tehran.

Our info shows Assadollah Assadi was in charge of #Iran regime's intel station in Austria since June 2014. This outpost coordinates activities of all MOIS stations in Europe. So, Assadi held the most important post within MOIS in Europe. #FreeIran2018 #ExpelIranDiplomatTerrorists pic.twitter.com/guAVKeb3ex

— Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) August 8, 2018

From 2014, Saadouni and his wife, Nasimeh Naami, had been monitoring the Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK). They had attended meetings and reported back to Daniel.

Daniel told Saadouni that the time for gathering intelligence was over. He gave Mr. Saadouni and Nasimeh Naam, the explosive material with the instructions to detonate the device at the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering at the end of June.

The event, which took place on June 30^th, attracts more than 100,000 supporters of the Iranian opposition every year. Nations from around the world also send delegations which often include senior politicians and human rights activist.

At the 2018 event, Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, were among those in the American delegation.

Foiling a Terror Attack Against MEK’s Gathering in Paris

However, Saadouni and Daniel were not alone on the terrace in Luxembourg. Acting on a tip by the Israeli intelligence agency, European secret security officials were watching the exchange.

Shortly after Saadouni and Naami set off for Paris with the explosives, the Belgian authorities moved in and detained the couple. The explosives Daniel had given them amounted to 500g of TATP, a powerful explosive that would have caused significant loss of life.

Simultaneously, German officials apprehended “Daniel” a few miles from the Austrian border. Daniel’s real name turned out to be Assadollah Assadi, a diplomat stationed at the Iranian embassy in Vienna, Austria.

The MEK has since discovered that Assadi is an explosives expert with ties to the Ministry of Intelligence in Iran (MOIS). He had a long history of planning and facilitating terrorist attacks in Iraq and was responsible for coordinating terror attacks across Europe from his position in Austria.

The plot was disrupted at an integral moment. If Assadi had crossed the Austrian border, he would have been protected by diplomatic immunity and would have escaped back to Iran.

The Political Fallout

In his article, Dalton discusses the political fallout of the foiled attack. The attack came just one month after US President Donal Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal. The French President, along with other European heads of state, were frantically trying to save the deal from collapse.

The revelations about Assadi, and his connections to the upper leadership of the clerical regime in Iran, have undermined Macron and the other leader’s efforts to salvage the deal.

Although the Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, denied the regime’s involvement, the strong ties linking Assadi to the regime leadership make it inconceivable that the upper echelons of the regime had not given the attack the green-light.

The MEK obtained information that suggested Assadi reported to Reza Amiri Moghadam, a senior official in the MOIS and former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

On November 5^th, the latest round of US sanctions will take effect, aimed at crippling Iranian regime’s oil exports and adding further strain to an already crumbling economy. European companies will be forced to choose between keeping their ties to Iranian markets and forgoing their US business ties or severing their Iranian ties to save their US interests. Given the size of the US economy, it is unlikely many companies will elect to maintain their ties to Tehran.

Macron, as well as Merkel and May, are all under intense pressure from the Trump administration to fall in line and support US sanctions. Until now, they have remained reluctant to do so.

A Danish Affair

As Europe grapples with the decision of how to proceed regarding Iran, with the nuclear deal in tatters and ferocious economic sanctions just around the corner, the Iranian regime planned another attack on European soil.

#Denmark Declares: #Iran Regime Plotted 'Attack', Recalls Ambassador – Calls for New Sanctions
Mike Pompeo congratulated Denmark in a tweet for uncovering the plot and said that for 40 years Iran has made Europe a target of terror attacks.https://t.co/nAebAtoRND pic.twitter.com/cE1aopJ8AU

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 30, 2018

On Tuesday, the Danish intelligence agency announced that it had uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate a political dissident on Danish soil.

The foiled assassination attempt represents the third foiled attack on European soil in less than 12 months (the first was a thwarted plot to attack the MEK’s Persian New Year celebrations in Albania).

This has prompted officials and analysts to raise concerns over Iran’s increasing willingness to engage in violent and clandestine operations in Europe. Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, a US think tank, and former CIA official, told the Wall Street Journal “they feel the constraints on them have been removed”.

If Riedel is right, terror attacks like those Europe has thwarted over the summer are likely to become a regular fixture in the future.

The French and Danish governments have both criticized the Iranian regime for its involvement in the respective attacks. The governments of Europe should come together and coordinate a clear and powerful response to these dangerous attacks. The European heads of state must show the regime that violence and aggression on European soil will not be tolerated.

The people of #Iran rose up and cried out, “Hardliners, reformists, the game is over.” Now, the European Union must immediately place the mullahs’ Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) on its terror list.

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 30, 2018

Without a tougher stance, the regime will continue to show contempt for international laws and hunt its political enemies across the European continent, much to the danger and peril of European citizens and the MEK alike. Now, in the immediate aftermath of the Danish plot, is the time to take a stand. Europe cannot afford to show weakness or vulnerability in the face of a regime as violent and aggressive as Khamenei and Rouhani’s.

Staff Writer