by Shahriar Kia
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently made the bold threat
that Iran could restart its nuclear program in a matter of "hours" if it chose
to. The remarks are the latest iteration of the Iranian regime's good cop, bad
cop routine.
When discussing
the actions of Iran in general and the presidency of Hassan Rouhani in
particular, it would be apt to reply with Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr's famous
epigram, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." In
the case of Rouhani, there has been much talk of change, but the regime has
conducted business as usual inside Iran.
Rouhani's
attempt to sell himself as a moderate stands in contrast with his foreign
policy record. In fact, Rouhani's reign in Iran has been characterized by an
aggressive regional foreign policy, as his regime has sent troops to Syria to prop up dictator
Bashar Assad, inflamed a civil war in Yemen, and played a divisive role in
Iraqi politics. All of this has gone on while Iran shamelessly attempts to cast
itself as the legitimate partner for peace, and as trustworthy in regards to
the nuclear deal struck with former President Barack Obama.
And while
Rouhani quotes ideas about tolerance and world peace, the regime carries on
with its traditional chant of "death to America."
Despite
coming into power on the supposed promise of improving human rights, Rouhani
has done the exact opposite. In fact, a report by UN Special Rapporteur on
Human Rights Ahmad Shaheed noted that "the overall situation has worsened"
with respect to human rights.
This
includes a war against dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities. Rouhani
has also carried out his policy of death and destruction at home, where the
human rights situation is now worse than it has been in decades. Iran continues
to be one of the worldwide leaders in execution, and according to Amnesty International was responsible for
66 percent of all recorded executions in the Middle East.
The world
should pursue a policy which recognizes Rouhani's empty words and false
promises for what they are, and which supports the Iranian people and their
movements for real and fundamental change in Iran.
Part of the
reason Rouhani has lashed out may be the fact that change has come with respect
to Iran, namely in the form of a new policy approach. A senior delegation of U.S. Senators met
with Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, in Albania on August 12, to
discuss democratic change and human rights in Iran.
The Iranian
regime is especially wary of the National Council of Resistance, the movementled by Mrs. Rajavi. The NCRI is a leading voice for regime change in Iran and
provides a comprehensive platform for the establishment of a democratic state.
The meeting
between these U.S. Senators and Rajavi may be a sign that a new policy towards
Iran will likely be met with the same old tactics and responses from the regime
-- namely threats, deception and double dealing. We should expect nothing less
from the regime in Tehran, but a new policy which seeks to embrace the
legitimate aspirations for change by Iran and its people is long overdue.
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