On Wednesday, February 13th, 2019, L. Todd Wood wrote a piece for the Washington Times criticizing the policy of appeasement towards the Iranian regime that has dominated US politics for the last four decades.

“Feb. 11 marks the historic victory of the anti-monarchic revolution in 1979 when nationwide protests by Iranian people toppled Shah’s dictatorship known for his notorious secret police, SAVAK, Evin prison, and the lavish spending of his corrupt regime.” -Soona Samsami #FreeIran pic.twitter.com/EbOvdzzr2C

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) February 11, 2019

The piece, entitled ‘Iran Resistance: 40 Years of Perceived US Appeasement’, begins with the coverage of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI’s) recent event held at the National Press Club in Washington DC. The NCRI or the parliament in exile of the Iranian opposition includes the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), the largest and most organized Iranian opposition group.

“The event began with remarks by US Ambassador J. Adam Ereli, who reviewed the difficult history the MEK has had with the American government,” Wood wrote. Consecutive US administrations “threw the MEK under the bus,” in an effort to appease the Iranian regime. Despite being a legitimate pro-democracy group, US administrations included the MEK on its terrorist blacklists, a move that was later overturned by the courts and deemed illegal.

Ambassador Adam Ereli on the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution https://t.co/Z5d2n7inwh via @YouTube #FreeIran #OnThisDay #Iran

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) February 12, 2019

Ali Safavi of the NCRI said, “when we talk about the West’s 40-year policy in dealing with the Iranian regime, we can find a common thread throughout the past four decades: an attempt to work with the ruling theocracy… in the hopes of moderating its behavior.”

Far from moderating the mullahs’ behavior, this approach has emboldened them and allowed them to continue to abuse Iranian human rights with impunity and launch an international state-sponsored terrorist campaign. Safavi concludes, “appeasement has actually helped prolong the mullahs’ rule.”

On anniversary of the Iranian revolution, @amsafavi: "Western outlook amounted to a policy of appeasement that has actually helped prolong the mullahs’ rule" https://t.co/Z0W0xggYCW via @YouTube #FreeIran #IranRegimeChange

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) February 12, 2019

An End of Appeasement?

However, under the Trump administration, there have been signs that the US government is finally willing to end its decades-old policy of appeasement. The US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and re-introduced economic sanctions on the Iranian regime.

In the face of US pressure, coupled with domestic pressure from a rapidly expanding MEK-led protest movement, the regime is under intense pressure. The NCRI’s US representative Soona Samsami said at the groups National Press Club event, “the Iranian regime is weak and vulnerable. It lacks internal legitimacy.”

"There is an organized resistance, it has very organized leadership. We are talking about a non-nuclear Iran, we are talking about seperation of religion and state. There is a 3,000 year history of Iranian people rising up and claiming their rights." -Soona Samsami #FreeIran pic.twitter.com/JfFsbk8XcT

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) February 11, 2019

She continued, “the regime’s internal policies, its human rights violations and economic mismanagement have depleted its strategic capital. It has no solutions to these massive crises and no way to curb the uprising.” She concluded, “put simply, the regime is at a strategic dead-end.”

What Is the Alternative?

In his piece, L. Todd Wood makes it abundantly clear that appeasement is not the only option. The NCRI and the MEK have a viable democratic alternative to regime rule in Iran. Their president-elect Maryam Rajavi has a ten-point plan for realizing a democratic Iran following the fall of the regime.

Woods asserts that the West has a “historic opportunity… to bring about regime change in Iran by helping the MEK.” It can only realize this opportunity by breaking with tradition, ending its policy of appeasement, and supporting the MEK in its pursuit of Iranian democracy.

Staff Writer

On June 30th, 2018, supporters of the Iranian opposition will descend on Paris. The city will host the annual convention of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Last year’s convention saw more than 100,000 regime opponents attend, among them were international politicians and officials within the US government.

Who is the NCRI?

The NCRI is the only viable democratic alternative to the mullahs’ tyrannical regime in Iran. It is a political coalition, representing Iran’s diverse religious, ethnic and political groups, with proportionate representation (more than 50% of the NCRI’s membership is made up of women).

The NCRI stands for democratic pluralism, universal suffrage and freedom of expression. It wants to end the systematic repression of the Iranian population and supports the abolition of the death penalty, nuclear disarmament, the establishment of an independent judicial system, and the separation of religion and state in government.

The NCRI’s charismatic leader, President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, opposes and challenges the Iranian regime in all spheres of public life. She publicly endorses public protests against the regime in Iran and has pressed for the regime to be held to account for its past crimes and atrocities.

A threat to the regime’s existence

The regime’s efforts to discredit the NCRI are a testament to the strength of the organization. Tehran has spent millions of dollars on efforts to vilify the group and its leader, Maryam Rajavi, abroad.

The mullahs see the NCRI and Rajavi as a threat to its existence. They have done everything in their power to prevent the organization from receiving international recognition. It has pressured international governments to demand restrictions on NCRI activities abroad. It also attempts to portray the organization as an obscure group of political exiles with little support inside Iran.

This portrayal could not be further from the truth

In reality, the NCRI complies with all international obligations and UN-approved international conventions. The regime also acknowledged the role of the NCRI and its subsidiary, the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), played in the recent uprisings across the country.

In December and early January, public protests spread across Iran, quickly spreading across 140 cities and mobilizing Iranians from all sectors of the Iranian population. The protests, which were organized and endorsed by the NCRI and the MEK exposed the mullahs’ smear campaign against the NCRI as being blatantly false. The NCRI and MEK had mobilized swathes of the Iranian population. They evidently enjoyed widespread support from the Iranian people.

The NCRI also already enjoys the support of the international community. Despite the regime’s best efforts, parliaments from several countries have endorsed the NCRI’s democratic goals and objectives. NCRI supporters include John Bolton, Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, and Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, among others.

An alternative to the clerical regime

With public protests in Iran intensifying by the day, the mullahs’ position in power looks more precarious than ever. Should the people rise up and overthrow their tyrannical oppressors, the NCRI is the only democratic organization in the position to take over the governing of Iran.

The NCRI has a plan for the country’s transition to democracy. Its ten-point plan outlines the country’s governing bodies and nominates a provisional government. It would act as a mechanism to prevent the country from descending into chaos and could maintain order and ensure a peaceful transition to democracy.

The NCRI also has plans to establish Kurdish autonomy, provide religious and political freedom, and restore rights to women and ethnic minorities which have been cast aside by the clerical regime. These would address the pressing social and political issues that have caused the breakdown of social and political cohesion in Iran.

The days of the clerical regime’s reign of tyranny are numbered. No organization enjoys the necessary domestic and international support to usher in Iran’s new democratic era like the NCRI. It has the authority and necessary foresight to preserve order and ensure a bright, prosperous, democratic future for Iran.

Staff Writer