The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and the subsequent collapse of Iran’s strategic depth in the region have delivered a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s policy of regional warmongering through its proxy forces. This interventionism and destabilization of neighboring countries have long served as one of the regime’s foundational strategies for maintaining its grip on power. The situation in Iran with a bankrupt economy, deepening social crises, and growing popular discontent has reached an explosive point, shaking the regime to its foundation. Analysts agree that, in response to this internal situation and setback in the region, Tehran has not only continued but even intensified its pursuit of nuclear weapons, aiming to compensate for its losses in the region and secure leverage to ensure its survival.
On December 20, 2024, during a press conference held by the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), alarming evidence was presented regarding the regime’s escalated nuclear activities. The focus of these efforts is the development of detonators crucial for nuclear explosions—a stark indicator of the regime’s commitment to achieving its nuclear ambitions. This revelation underscores a long-standing truth: the Iranian regime, particularly after losing its strategic foothold in Syria, is accelerating its efforts to acquire a nuclear bomb.
NCRI Report: Locations and Details of #Iranian Regime’s #Nuclear Detonator Development Siteshttps://t.co/0SoF3ZmmUQ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 20, 2024
A Failed Policy of Appeasement
Understanding this escalation is straightforward. The disagreement lies not in the reality of the threat but in the appropriate course of action to address it. Advocates of appeasement argue that negotiations and concessions are the way forward to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. This approach, however, has been a catastrophic failure, enabling the regime to buy time over the past two decades to bring its nuclear program to the brink of weaponization.
The roots of this failure can be traced back to the misguided approach to the issue after the NCRI first exposed Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities in August 2002, including the uranium enrichment site in Natanz and the heavy water facility in Arak. These revelations opened a window for the international community to halt the regime’s nuclear progress. Instead, Western powers chose to negotiate and offer concessions, granting Tehran the time and space it needed to advance its program covertly. Today, the world faces the consequences of this misguided strategy, with the Iranian regime closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear bomb.
The regime’s consistent pattern of deceit and obstruction has been evident throughout its nuclear pursuits, especially in weaponization efforts. Despite repeated warnings and detailed intelligence from the Iranian Resistance, Tehran has exploited diplomatic engagements to further its ambitions under the cover of dialogue. The evidence presented in the recent NCRI press conference leaves no room for doubt: the regime’s intentions are clear, and the stakes are higher than ever.
NCRI has long warned about the #Iranian regime’s secret nuclear weaponization. Since 2004, it has exposed METFAZ's role in explosive chambers at Parchin. Decades later, METFAZ remains central to #Tehran's nuclear ambitionshttps://t.co/EiJenArCtmhttps://t.co/3z7ZiPGfWB
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 21, 2024
A Path Forward: Decisive Action
It is time for the international community to abandon the failed policy of appeasement and adopt a firm, unequivocal stance against the Iranian regime. Key measures must include:
- Reinstating Comprehensive Sanctions: The Iranian regime’s intensified pursuit of nuclear weapons, particularly following its strategic defeats in the region, has brought the international community to a critical crossroads. With new evidence revealing Tehran’s accelerated focus on developing nuclear detonators—a key component for nuclear weapons—there is no longer room for hesitation. The time has come for decisive, collective action to prevent the regime from achieving its nuclear ambitions. At the heart of this response must be the immediate reinstatement of the Snapback Mechanism under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
- Rigorous Inspections: Ensuring full transparency and accountability in all nuclear-related activities is imperative.
- Support for Democratic Change: The ultimate solution to the nuclear threat lies in standing with the Iranian people and their organized resistance to bring about regime change.
The international community must recognize that the Iranian people and their organized resistance, spearheaded by the MEK Resistance Units, are the only ones capable of ending the nuclear threat at its root: the regime itself. The NCRI coalition, with over 43 years of steadfast opposition to the regime, a democratic platform, and a roadmap for a smooth transfer of power after the regime’s overthrow, represents a viable alternative to the regime.