International attention turned to Iran when US President Donald Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He made an impassioned speech in which he pointed out that his decision was based on the security interests of his country.
In recent months, and indeed since the nuclear deal negotiations were taking place, very little has been said by the international community with regards to the people of Iran who are the first victims of the Iranian regime.
When the nationwide protests in Iran were taking place at the end of last year and beginning of this year, Trump said he supports the people against the cruel regime that is plundering the wealth of the nation.
In his recent speech about his reasons for withdrawing from the deal, Trump once again mentioned the people, as did his new Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who acknowledged the plight of the Iranian people. He recognized their reasons for protesting and their right to protest.
The US Secretary of State also mentioned the “blood money” that the Iranian regime was given, highlighting that it was spent on meddling abroad. He also made it clear that any future agreements with Iran must oblige the regime to halt its enrichment of uranium and give nuclear inspectors unhindered access to all sites.
Pompeo also said it is imperative for Iran to put a complete end to its supports for terrorist groups in the region – namely Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said that recognizing the right of Iranian people is a huge step forward. She said the people have been resisting for almost four decades and pointed out that they will continue to do so until the regime is finally overthrown. Democratic change, she said, is not only the “only solution” to the issues in Iran, but also the only way to move towards resolving conflict in the Middle East.
Rajavi said: “Forming an international front against the religious and terrorist dictatorship in Iran is requisite for establishment of peace, security and coexistence in the region and world over.”
The leader of the resistance movement also pointed out that the 2015 nuclear deal was negotiated very poorly and that the Iranian regime was given numerous concessions. Furthermore, it provided Iran with a huge sum of money, much of it in cash, which it has proceeded to spend on terrorist activities and the funding of militias and proxy groups.
At the end of last year, the Iranian people once again exercised their right to protest and millions took to the streets to make their voices heard. They criticized the Iranian regime’s corruption that is evident at all levels of leadership and called on the regime to leave other countries in the region. The people know that there is no other alternative but a regime change in Iran and they are striving to make their future a better one, while risking arrest, torture, imprisonment and execution.