Iran’s lobbyists contend that there is a battle between moderate
elements and hardline conservatives being waged in the Iranian regime. However,
in reality, The Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has the final say, and whoever is
President is subject to his commands.
Those
who took over the original Islamic revolution now run Tehran. Under this
regime, human rights abuses, including prison, torture, and execution,
continue.
Even
Iranian dissidents outside of Iran are targeted, most notably the members of
the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran, which is one of the largest and
oldest resistance groups. Many of the PMOI members formerly resided in refugee
camps in Iraq, but were constantly under attack. They have now been
safely relocated in Europe.
In
the wake of the 2009 presidential elections, mass protests by the Iranian
people followed. They were fired upon, arrested, and many were executed. Since
then, the regime has instituted broad crackdowns prior to the election cycle,
including the arrests of journalists, bloggers, politicians, activists and even
students and artists.
Only
carefully vetted and approved candidates are allowed on the ballot for
presidential and parliamentary elections.
President
of the International American Council and a leading expert on Iran and U.S.
foreign policy, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, wrote about this Iran lobby myth
in Arab News. Rafizadeh writes that
“Iran’s moderates are a critical part of the political establishment. Many of
them, including the current President Hassan Rouhani, were robust supporters or
founding fathers of the Islamic Republic’s Shiite theocracy. These ‘moderates,’
such as the late former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, were once called
‘hard-liners,’” he says, adding, “In addition, it is crucial to point out that
to be a politician in Iran, your loyalty to the core pillars of the political
establishment should be firmly proven. Vilayat-e Faqih is the core pillar of
Shiite political thought expounded by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and
forces a guardianship-based political system on the people, and requires that a
Shiite religious figure be the leader of the nation.” According to
Rafizadeh, the terms ‘moderates’ and ‘hardliners’ are a Western invention, and
are not used in Iranian politics. Additionally, the Iran lobby uses these terms
with Western media.
Rafizadeh
said, “Iran’s supreme leader and the senior cadre of IRGC hold the final say
when it comes to Iran’s foreign policy. They also have significant control over
Iran’s economic, financial, and political sectors. For example, at the end of
the presidential term of the so-called ‘moderate’ Hassan Rouhani, Iran has not
altered its policies toward Syria, in supporting President Bashar Assad, along
with Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and other nations’ domestic affairs. In fact, it has
intensified its expansionist policies through its military and additional
revenues.”
Little
has changed in Iran since 1979 for Iran’s religious and ethnic minorities such
as Kurds, Christians, Sunni, Arabs and others.
More
horrifying is the use of acid in attacks against women. According to Iranian
news agencies, last month, two women in Maashour, within the Ahwaz province,
were attacked. Additionally, according to Al-Arabiya, a family of four was
attacked on Saturday in Sharada, within Isfahan province, Iran’s top tourist
destination.
Reports
on social networks claim that the victims were not properly veiled, and were
therefore sprayed on the face and body by assailants on motorcycles. In press
statement, Isfahan’s Investigative Police Chief Sitar Khasraoui said that the
families were taken to the hospital to treat the burns.
This,
while the Iran lobby professes that moderates are battling for control in Iran
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