Former Vice President Mike Pence and 107 other former world leaders on Tuesday signed a letter to President Joe Biden and his counterparts in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe calling on the West to adopt a stricter approach to Iran and supporting Iranian anti-government protesters. demanded regime change.
The letter came after US lawmakers last week expressed bipartisan support for Iranians demonstrating against their government and criticized Biden for their perception of not having a comprehensive or comprehensive strategy toward Iran.
“We believe it is time to hold the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for its crimes,” the letter said. “We urge your countries to stand with the Iranian people in their search for change and to take decisive measures against the current regime. This includes blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and holding the officials of the regime to be held accountable for their crimes against the people.”
The IRGC is an Iranian military force designated by the US as a terrorist organization.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to guests at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Spring Kick-Off on April 22, 2023 in Clive, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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The letter – addressed to Biden, the prime ministers of Canada and the UK, and heads of state across Europe – condemned Iran’s “interference” in the Middle East and Europe, noting that Iran had provided Russia with lethal weapons. drones to be used in Ukraine and attempted terrorist attacks on European soil.
US experts and officials have also accused Iran of being behind a wave of attempted assassinations of American citizens on US soil, including senior figures in the former Trump administration.
As for the internal situation in Iran, the letter highlights how Iran famously executed thousands of political prisoners in 1988, when the current Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was part of a so-called ” death committee” which ordered many executions.
World leaders also pointed to ongoing anti-government street protests across the country in Iran. Protests erupted across Iran in September when a young woman died in custody of Iran’s so-called morality police, who allegedly detained her for wearing the hijab, a mandatory Islamic head covering. for women in Iran, in an “incorrect” way. .
In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by AP outside Iran, Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by morality police, in Tehran, October 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Middle East Images, File) (The Associated Press)
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Since then, the protests have grown in scope and intensity, reaching all 31 Iranian provinces and nearly 300 cities, according to local reports and the organized Iranian resistance movement. Chants calling for the overthrow of the Iranian regime are common at protests.
In response, the regime violently suppressed the demonstrations, with hundreds of protesters killed and tens of thousands arrested, according to reports. Critics have also accused the regime of being involved in the recent poisoning of hundreds of school girls in the country. Iran has also increased its executions, most recently executing three protesters last week. The latter decisions prompted bipartisan outcry from US lawmakers, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In Tuesday’s letter, the world leaders called on Biden and his counterparts to stand with the protesters in their bid to topple the current regime.
“We urge you to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in their desire for a secular and democratic republic where no individual, regardless of religion or birthright, has any privilege over others,” the letter said. saying. “Through their slogans, the Iranian people have made it clear that they reject all forms of dictatorship, whether the deposed Shah or the current theocratic regime, and thus reject any association with either .”
The leaders also expressed support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition of Iranian opposition groups, and its leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has called for democratic change.
In addition to Pence, an outspoken supporter of the Iranian opposition movement, the letter’s signatories include former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and two former presidents of European Commission, among many ex-heads of state.
The letter came after last week the newly formed Iranian Women Congressional Caucus held its first joint meeting with the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus – both bipartisan – to express support for the Iranian protesters.
“We offer our unwavering commitment to promote women’s freedom and rights around the world. This will cross party lines and unite on human rights issues,” Rep. Nancy Mace, RS.C., said at the event. “We must send a strong message that the international community stands in solidarity with the women of Iran and will not allow suppression of their rights.”
President Joe Biden, right, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, left
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The event came two days after Biden administration officials gave a classified briefing on Iran to all 100 senators. After the briefing, several senators said they were not satisfied with what they heard about the administration’s approach to Iran.
“It’s been six months since President Biden declared the [Iran nuclear deal] ‘dead’ and we are no closer to a more comprehensive policy on Iran,” Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement after the briefing. “The Iran’s strategic ambiguity only serves to encourage the regime and push our partners closer to China. As Iran continues to illegally seize ships, target Americans in the region, and support terrorist proxies and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Americans deserve a policy that is more than a failed nuclear negotiations.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., expressed similar concerns when speaking to reporters immediately after the briefing.
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“Based on what I heard in the last 40 minutes, they are [the Biden administration] not much to say about the topic [of Iran],” Hawley said. “I don’t think it’s a useful briefing. I don’t know if they really have a coherent strategy. If there is one, I haven’t heard of it… We haven’t learned anything new or remotely classified.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
