By Struan Stevenson Conflagration engulfs the Middle East, with the Israel-Hamas war having gone on for more than a year now, and many Israeli hostages are still being held in deplorable conditions by Hamas terrorists. In Northern Israel, constant missile and rocket attacks by Hezbollah led to the mass evacuation of more than 70,000 Israelis from their homes in 2024 and to the inevitable military retaliation by the Israel Defense Forces, as they crossed the border into Southern Lebanon. Israeli missiles are raining down on key Hezbollah targets in Beirut. The assassination of Hezbollah’s terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, a seismic event, shattered his close friend and ally Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader and Hezbollah’s main sponsor. Nasrallah’s successor, Hashem Saffieddine, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut within hours of being nominated for the Hezbollah leadership role and before the funeral of his predecessor had even taken place. Es...
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
The Pendulum Shifts: Iranian Opposition Prevails over Western Concessions to Tehran
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
When it comes to Iran, discerning observers are usually fixated on the contentious nuclear issue, as well as Tehran’s unabated sponsorship of terrorism. However, recently, a conspicuous spotlight was cast on the intricate internal dynamics, capturing the attention of the global community. Following engagements with the regime, both European and American governments made a consequential decision to assuage the regime’s sensibilities by ascending to one of its paramount demands: imposing constraints on the activities of the principal opposition. The prompt failure of these efforts has shed light on fundamental realities, deserving of profound contemplation by Western policymakers.
Amidst a recent flurry of reports surrounding negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a disconcerting pattern of concessions has emerged, all of which pertain to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its main constituent, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). In May, Belgium facilitated the repatriation of a convicted terrorist to Iran. Assadollah Assadi, an accredited diplomat, had been found guilty by European courts for orchestrating the foiled bombing plot targeting an NCRI rally in Paris in 2018.
In June, the Iranian regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi held a 90-minute phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. State-controlled media swiftly reported that Raisi had demanded curbs on the activities of the NCRI. France then announced an unforeseen ban on an NCRI rally slated to take place on July 1.
A few hours after that decision, the Albanian government, reportedly after engaging Tehran intelligence services, raided the MEK’s main headquarters near Tirana, leading to one death and over 100 injuries. The US State Department tacitly approved of the raid.
These developments encapsulate a compendium of Western concessions and diplomatic overtures to a dangerous regime. The absence of happenstance here is clear, as the measures conspicuously align with a discernible pattern of appeasement. The flawed assumption is that such actions can convince the ruling mullahs to curtail their nefarious pursuits, including terrorism or the relentless march toward a nuclear bomb. Astonishingly, however, all these actions ultimately failed to achieve the intended results.
Amidst a recent flurry of reports surrounding negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a disconcerting pattern of concessions has emerged, all of which pertain to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its main constituent, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). In May, Belgium facilitated the repatriation of a convicted terrorist to Iran. Assadollah Assadi, an accredited diplomat, had been found guilty by European courts for orchestrating the foiled bombing plot targeting an NCRI rally in Paris in 2018.
In June, the Iranian regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi held a 90-minute phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. State-controlled media swiftly reported that Raisi had demanded curbs on the activities of the NCRI. France then announced an unforeseen ban on an NCRI rally slated to take place on July 1.
A few hours after that decision, the Albanian government, reportedly after engaging Tehran intelligence services, raided the MEK’s main headquarters near Tirana, leading to one death and over 100 injuries. The US State Department tacitly approved of the raid.
These developments encapsulate a compendium of Western concessions and diplomatic overtures to a dangerous regime. The absence of happenstance here is clear, as the measures conspicuously align with a discernible pattern of appeasement. The flawed assumption is that such actions can convince the ruling mullahs to curtail their nefarious pursuits, including terrorism or the relentless march toward a nuclear bomb. Astonishingly, however, all these actions ultimately failed to achieve the intended results.
The fact that the rally not only transpired against all odds and obstacles, but also attracted a formidable assembly of high-ranking officials and legislators, signifies an astonishing display of prowess by the organized opposition. The event stands as a stark reminder of the shifting dynamics within Iran, particularly in the face of appeasement efforts by the US, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, with France assuming a leading role. It unfolds at a critical juncture, with the regime grappling with a prolonged uprising. The opposition’s strength, resilience, and vitality should prompt a reevaluation of Western perspective on the future trajectory of Iran as well as the futility of appeasement.
The regime’s relentless entreaties to exert pressure on the resistance expose the depths of its fears and the lengths it is willing to go in its bid to eradicate the organized opposition. Tehran sees the NCRI as its only viable alternative and is increasingly terrified of the preeminent role played by the MEK in galvanizing the uprisings that aim to overthrow the theocracy. Such apprehension is a telling reflection of the regime’s recognition that the NCRI poses a real and imminent danger.
The resistance’s ability to forge ahead with its summit and rally amid relentless pressures represents a political and logistical feat bordering on the miraculous. It underscores the existence of a legitimate alternative with deep social roots and extensive global support. It ought to prompt profound reflection among policymakers.
Today, the regime finds itself in a state of international isolation and unprecedented domestic weakness, beset by a rising tide of popular discontent. In addition to portending a shifting landscape of significant proportions, these dynamics demand the rejection of appeasement and a more decisive and firm policy against the brittle theocratic regime.
Majid Rafizadeh
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman, and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council, and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Written by Mahmoud Hakamian Two-minute read On Sunday morning, April 14, the Iranian regime launched an unprecedented attack against Israel, escalating tensions in the Middle East. Despite military experts’ assessments that the attack failed, it underscores Iran’s role as a focal point of regional conflict. The October 7th attack sent shockwaves globally. Despite ample evidence implicating the Iranian regime, Western governments dismissed Tehran’s involvement, adhering to a flawed appeasement policy toward the primary state sponsor of terrorism. They disregarded explicit statements from Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commanders boasting about their direct role in the attack. For decades, the Iranian Resistance has urged the international community to adopt a resolute stance against the Iranian regime’s aggression and terrorism. Despite persistent calls, the failed appeasement policy of the West allowed Tehran to escalate its belligerent activities, including ...
By DR. MAJID RAFIZADEH President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the US will leave or stick with the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, by May 12. It has been almost three years since the nuclear accord was reached between the Islamic Republic and the UN Security Council’s five permanent members — Russia, the UK, China, France, and the US — plus Germany (the P5+1). Since the JCPOA’s implementation day on Jan. 16, 2016, the Iranian regime has been receiving various benefits that can be divided into four categories. Based on the terms of the JCPOA, four rounds of the United Nations Security Council’s economic sanctions against Tehran were lifted immediately. The regime also received unilateral sanctions relief from individual countries in exchange for halting its nuclear activities and dismantling some sections of its nuclear program. For instanc...
Link to call signing: https://www.change.org/p/un-secretary-general-call-for-justice-for-the-1988-iran-massacre Let's move our hands to change our world In the age of consciousness, and in the 21st century, brutality and barbarism must be stopped, this is not worthy of humanity. At the first step, you should be the center of this cruelty and the godfather of crime and murder, terrorism and fundamentalism that nobody is part of Iran's terrorist government. The fact is that the killing and execution of political and conscientious prisoners in public or in prisons is secretly in its astronomical dimensions on the coin of killing innocent people abroad by this regime. The issuance of terrorism and the support of fundamentalist and terrorist groups in this regime is institutionalized and is part of the constitution. The crimes committed by perpetrators and groups affiliated with this corrupt and expansionist state in Syria and Lebanon and Iraq ...
Comments
Post a Comment