Should Iran's sanctions by the United
States not be supplemented by the dismissal of the regime from the Middle East?
I draw your attention to the analysis of
Shahriar Kia.
by Shahriar Kia
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 perfect 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.
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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.
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