While August
seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has been quite the opposite for Iran and the
wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier.A
senior delegation of United States Senators
travelled to Tirana, the capital of Albania, today, August 12, 2017, to meet
the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who heads the National Councilof Resistance of Iran.
The delegation, Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President
of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select
Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and
Transportation committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the
Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a
member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and
Veterans’ Affairs committees, also visited members of the People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in the Albanian capital.
Tirana, Albania, August 12, 2017 - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi
(center), the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
meeting a senior delegation from the United States Senate. From right: Senators
Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and John Cornyn (R-TX).
The NCRI is
a political coalition calling for regime change in Iran and
considered the main threat to Tehran’s mullahs. The MEK is the main member of
this coalition of a variety of Iranian
dissident groups and individuals.
“Led by Senator
Blunt, the delegation congratulated the safe and secure relocation of all Camp
Liberty residents outside of Iraq and wished them success in their struggle for
democracy and human rights in Iran,” according to an NCRI statement.
Rajavi expressed
her gratitude for the tireless efforts of the U.S. Senate, particularly Senator
Blunt, regarding the protection of thousands of MEK members in Iraq, and their
safe relocation to Albania.
Senator Blunt was
among several American dignitaries, including senior former officials, who at
a July 2014 Senate briefing strongly condemned Iran’s highly destructive role
in Iraq. While describing Tehran as part of the problem
plaguing Baghdad and the entire country, Senator Blunt joined the initiative in
demanding the urgent transfer of PMOI/MEK members stationed in a former US
military base known as Camp Liberty near the Iraqi capital.
Senator Blunt and
his colleagues John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and former Senator
Carl Levin had urged former Secretary of State John
Kerry to “press for the protection of Camp Liberty and to expedite the
resettlement of the Camp Residents to countries outside Iraq, including the
United States.”
Tirana, Albania, August 12, 2017 - Mrs. Maryam Rajavi (center),
the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran meeting a
senior delegation from the United States Senate. From right: Senators Roy Blunt
(R-MO), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). up to the day's most
important news.Top of Form
Earlier in April,
Senator McCain, a long supporter of the Iranian opposition and a staunch critic of
Tehran’s policies, also visited the MEK in Albania and met with
Rajavi. MEK members were able to depart Iraq after a long 4½ year ordeal
in Camp Liberty following a forced transfer from their 26-year home in Camp
Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad. From 2009 following the transfer of their
security from the US military to the Iraqi government, the MEK came under eight major ground and
missile/rocket attacks staged by Iran-backed proxies against Ashraf and
Liberty. This was parallel to a seven-year logistical and medical siege closing
them off from the outside world. After losing over 160 of their colleagues to
the attacks and blockade, MEK members were
finally able to transfer out of Iraq to a variety of European countries, mainly
Albania.
Saturday’s
high-profile visit by the senior U.S. Senators comes at a time when
Washington has slapped major new sanctions against Iran for its ballistic
missile drive, support for terrorism and human rights violations. Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards is now subject to sanctions under Executive Order 13224, and Specially
Designated Global Terrorists. Considering the Guards control over 40% of Iran’s economy, these
new sanctions come as a heavy blow to Tehran’s future ambitions. Analysts
believe this visit sends a strong signal to Tehran over how
the NCRI is gaining momentum through a growing consensus in Congress over the
necessity of adopting a policy of regime change vis-à-vis Iran. This time last
year Iran’s ruling clerics appeared determined on weakening or dismantling
the PMOI/MEK. Only a year later, the tides have turned and it is the Iranian
opposition that is now on the offensive. More such developments threatening the
very pillars of Iran’s rule are most likely set to come in the near future.
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