{"id":226422,"date":"2020-09-19T13:53:52","date_gmt":"2020-09-19T12:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=226422"},"modified":"2023-02-01T05:45:24","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T04:45:24","slug":"iran-international-summit-demonstrates-multi-partisan-support-for-assertive-iran-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/iran-international-summit-demonstrates-multi-partisan-support-for-assertive-iran-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran: International Summit Demonstrates Multi-Partisan Support for Assertive Iran Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Maryam_Rajavi_19082020_3\"
Maryam Rajavi addresses conference held on the eve of the UN General Assembly Summit \u2013 September 18, 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Friday, lawmakers from both across Europe and the United States gathered virtually for a \u201cTrans-Atlantic Summit on Iran Policy.\u201d The event was hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)<\/a>, a coalition of opposition groups which has long been recognized as the leading voice for democracy in Iran, and as a viable alternative to the country\u2019s existing government structure.<\/p>\n

Journalist Trish Regan<\/a> served as M.C. for the gathering and introduced dozens of speakers who represent a wide range of political ideologies. Several American messages of support for the Iranian Resistance came from prominent Republicans such as Senator Ted Cruz<\/a>, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich<\/a>, and President Trump\u2019s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. But they were joined by Democratic colleagues who included New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The bipartisan unity on display in these statements is a rare feature of the current era in American politics, and it is arguably a sign of the universality of the principles that were highlighted in Friday\u2019s conference<\/a>. Many speakers emphasized the perceived need to exert greater pressure on the regime in order to safeguard the basic rights of the Iranian people. These appeals appeared especially timely in the wake of the previous week\u2019s execution of Navid Afkari<\/a>, a celebrated Iranian wrestling champion who was arrested in 2018 for taking part in an anti-government protest.<\/p>\n

Though accused of murder by the Iranian regime, Afkari\u2019s conviction was based entirely on a false confession<\/a> that had been elicited under torture. Many human rights groups, sporting organizations, and policymakers had appealed to the Iranian regime to spare Afkari\u2019s life in the weeks since his death sentence was upheld by the nation\u2019s highest court. But the regime seemed to respond only by doubling down and releasing state media packages that insisted he deserved to die.<\/p>\n

For many critics of the Iranian regime, the comparatively brief period of time between Afkari\u2019s appeal and his execution was a sign of the theocratic regime\u2019s stubborn resistance to any and all demands for reform. A number of speakers at Friday\u2019s summit pointed to that sort of defiance as a source of justification for the \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d campaign currently being applied to the regime by the US. And several European supporters of the NCRI insisted that that strategy should be adopted by their own countries in place of a longstanding Western strategy that they described as overly conciliatory or downright appeasing.<\/p>\n

Robert Joseph<\/a>, a former Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security at the US State Department, pointed to the upcoming presidential election and cautioned the US against slipping back into bad habits with regard to Iran policy, regardless the outcome. He urged the policy makers to recognize that \u201cthe hope that the regime will reform is just a fantasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Weekly-Signe-up-logo-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Endorsing that sentiment, most of Friday\u2019s speakers made at least some reference to the possibility of Iranian regime\u2019s dictatorship being replaced by the pro-democracy NCRI. British Member of Parliament David Jones<\/a> explicitly urged his government to join Washington in not only exerting maximum pressure but also directing that pressure toward the goal of helping Iranian civilians to overturn the regime.<\/p>\n

\"Maryam_Rajavi_19082020_1\"
Maryam Rajavi welcomes the speech of David Jones MP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBy adopting a firm policy against the regime, the UK and the US and other Western democracies should align themselves with the people of Iran and Madam Rajavi<\/a> for a viable Iranian made solution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Robert Joseph<\/a> pointed out that the perceived absence of a viable alternative to the mullahs\u2019 regime has led many American and European policymakers to conclude that their only options for dealing with Tehran\u2019s malign activities are to either engage in diplomacy with it, or else risk stumbling into war.<\/p>\n

\n

Ambassador Robert Joseph, ex-US Arms Control chief: More negotiations will only lead to more brutality. The problem is the regime itself. We must deny the regime any legitimacy. we must support the democratic opposition.#FreeIran2020<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/2U7Rt1f9LO<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 18, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n