America Must Not Abandon the Iranian People

Amid the debate over the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran, one very salient fact has largely gone undiscussed: What is to become of the Iranian people, whose hour of freedom we promised had finally come?

Recent reports of an uptick in executions of dissidents paint a sobering picture. As the Iranian regime takes advantage of the cessation of the war to cement its control over the country, wiping out domestic opposition has predictably become a top priority. I fear that this crackdown will only get worse in the coming days.

Don’t forget: In the months before Operation Epic Fury began, Iran was in the midst of a serious domestic crisis that brought millions of ordinary Iranians to the streets in protests that spanned the country. Years of misgovernance by this theocratic, corrupt dictatorship brought the economy to its knees, while increasing numbers of Iranians chafed against the bonds of tyranny. 

This popular uprising was one of the regime’s critical pressure points when the U.S. and Israel made the decision to undertake their joint military campaign to defang the regime. And while “regime change” was never a declared war aim, the decapitation of Iran’s political and military leadership (including Ayatollah Khamenei) seemed to be an implicit recognition that our security aims could not be achieved so long as the status quo remained in place.

The fact is, we have nearly five decades of experience to confirm that the Islamic Republic is an entirely irredeemable governing entity. Terrorism and vicious hatred of America, Israel, and the West are part of its DNA, and its fundamentalist vision is incompatible with peaceful coexistence with the civilized world. America – and the world – will never be safe if this regime survives in any form.

There can be no resolution to this problem until this regime is gone for good. Make no mistake – the U.S. cannot replace the government of Iran; only the people can do that. But we can help to create the space for Iran’s organized democratic opposition to come to the fore and form a new government. Having worked closely with the Mossad as director of the CIA, I have no doubt that Israel has numerous covert operations underway inside Iran to aid the Iranian people; we can and should do what we can in support of those efforts.

But the most important way in which we can aid the Iranian people is by resuming a stance of maximum pressure against the Islamic Republic. The absence of such pressure doesn’t just let the Iranian people down – it gives this evil, anti-American dictatorship a new lease on life, and a new chance to continue its war against the U.S., Israel, and anyone who stands in its way. 

As we celebrate 250 years of freedom here in the United States, we should remember that the Iranian people have made their preference abundantly clear in repeated waves of resistance stretching back to the beginnings of the Islamic Republic. They want a republic that is free, democratic, and accountable, and to return to the community of nations as a peaceful and prosperous partner. The benefits of such a shift would be truly historic. America should fan the flames of freedom in Iran and across the globe.  

We’ve taken the first step toward a future that seemed close to impossible just a few years ago. But we can’t resolve this problem if we don’t finish the job. The Iranian people can – and should – be our firm allies in that effort. We must not let them down.