![\"Ambassador_Robert_Joseph-6\"](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Ambassador_Robert_Joseph-6.jpg\" "\\"Ambassador_Robert_Joseph-6\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, a court in Belgium heard the appeal case of three Iranian operatives who had attempted to bomb the Iranian opposition\u2019s rally in 2018 in France. The leader of this terrorist ring, Assadollah Assadi, a high-ranking Iranian diplomat, has also been arrested.<\/p>\n
The \u201cFree Iran\u201d gathering<\/a>, which was the targeted venue in 2018, hosted hundreds of renowned Western politicians and over 100,000 Iranians from all over the world.<\/p>\n While this plot has been thwarted and Tehran\u2019s operative arrested, there is increasing concern over the Iranian regime\u2019s terrorism and espionage network. In this regard, we had an exclusive interview with Ambassador Robert Joseph, who was among the dignitaries who had attended the 2018 gathering. Amb. Joseph is also one of the plaintiffs in the case of the 2018 foiled bombing.<\/p>\n Q: <\/strong>Y<\/strong>ou were present in the 2018 Free Iran gathering; please take us back to that day.<\/strong><\/p>\n Amb. Robert Joseph:\u00a0 As I mentioned in my statement to the Belgium court, I vividly recall the enormous exhibition hall with a large VIP section where I was sitting with hundreds of parliamentarians from around the world, renowned human rights activists, and other accomplished guests from every professional field. Clearly, the main target of the terrorist plot was Mrs. Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and sponsor of the meeting. \u00a0Like others in my section, I was sitting near Mrs. Rajavi<\/a>. But there were also thousands of participants within a short distance from the VIP section. The death toll of this savage attack would have been catastrophic, with casualties in the hundreds, if not more.<\/p>\n I also mentioned in my official statement that targeting such a large crowd to pursue the criminal objective of eliminating the leader of a democratic opposition, is an abhorrent crime that cannot be tolerated by any civilized government. If the leaders of free societies fail to hold the perpetrators responsible, in this case, the Iranian regime, we will only encourage more attacks and be complicit in them.<\/p>\n Q: After the conviction of Assadi, what were your expectations from the EU? <\/strong><\/p>\n Amb. Robert Joseph: The appropriate actions needed to be taken by the EU and the US following the heinous nature of the crime committed by Assadi and his accomplices at the behest of the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n First, as the court found, this was a deliberate act of state terrorism ordered by and conducted by the Iranian regime. Assadi, the principal defendant, was a senior official of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, assigned to the Iranian Embassy<\/a> in Vienna and masquerading as a diplomat.<\/p>\n WATCH as Amb. Robert Joseph examines the implications of the Feb 4 Belgian conviction of #Iran<\/a> regime\u2019s diplomat Assadollah Assadi who masterminded the foiled bombing attack on the Resistance\u2019s 2018 summit in Paris &Tehran\u2019s FM\u2019s role. #Time4FirmIranPolicy<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/8ZQcfPHx6T<\/a><\/p>\n — NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) February 4, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n