Update: The Iranian People's Fight for Freedom
Protesters continue to flood the streets in over 80 Iranian cities and towns. The demonstrations are growing, with Iranian artists, celebrities, and athletes speaking out in support of the protests. The brutal regime in Iran is fighting back. Over 1,200 people have been arrested, some of them mysteriously disappearing. The number of protesters killed by authorities is hard to track because the regime has cut off much of social media and news reports; at the last count, 41 people have been killed—but that number is probably much higher.
A key indicator that this might be an unprecedented flipping point in the Iranian people’s cry for freedom will be if political leaders and other officials in Iran begin speaking out for the citizens. They would pay a high price for doing so. But if that happened, it would inevitably force the Ayatollah and his thugs to change their oppressive policies. The ideal outcome would be for leaders in Iran’s political system and the military to overthrow the religious despot who is leading the country, establish a new democratic-style form of government, and bring freedom to the oppressed people of Iran.
The United States has a role to play, only because the Biden Administration continues to negotiate with the terroristic regime in the misguided hope that they will stop their pursuit of a nuclear weapon. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan insists that supporting the protestors and negotiating with the Iranian government over nuclear weapons are not mutually exclusive, that the U.S. can get the Iranian regime to stop its pursuit of the chief weapon of mass destruction the world has ever known, and also demand that the people in the streets crying out for freedom be supported.
This is unrealistic on multiple levels. Chief among the reasons that it is impossible to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program and defend the people in the streets is that the Biden team is virtually talking to the same people in Iran about these two issues. The Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is responsible for oversight of the research and development for nuclear weapons. It is their project. However, the Revolutionary Guard Corps is also in charge of defending the regime; this is actually their chief responsibility. Thus, it is this organization that is coordinating the efforts to shut down the demonstrations and attack the citizens of Iran who are demanding freedom. The killing and jailing of the protesters is directed by the IRGC.
The new Iran nuclear deal will not stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The original JCPOA merely delayed it for a decade. Now the Iranians have moved so far beyond the provisions of that first agreement, there is no way to unring that bell. They have enriched uranium to 60% levels; the JCPOA limited it to 3.76%. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the regime now has more than enough nuclear material to produce their first bomb. They only need to enrich the material they already possess to 90%, which they can do in a matter of weeks—if they have not done so already. The world, including the U.N.’s IAEA, does not know how far along Iran is on the weapons program because Iran will not allow any inspections or explain why the IAEA earlier found nuclear material at three sites in the country that were not listed by Iran as research sites. Meanwhile, all military installations are off limits to all international inspections, even though some believe that is where the planning for their first nuclear weapon is ongoing.
As all of this is going on, the Biden Administration has pledged to lift sanctions on Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, in exchange for Iran signing the new JCPOA. This will give Iran billions of dollars that the regime will use to complete its development of a nuclear weapon. These new funds, in addition to allowing Iran to begin legally selling oil again, will prop up the brutal regime generally and allow them to increase their support to terror groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels, and others.
The bottom line is this: Unless the Biden Administration changes its tactics, the Iranian regime will continue to pursue a nuclear weapon and will also continue to attack the protesters. They will continue to export terror. They will continue to keep U.S. officials on an assassination hit list, including our colleague at the ACLJ, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. They will continue to attempt to kill or kidnap Iranian citizens living in the United States. Iran will continue to be a threat to the world. Wanting peace and wanting to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons is important and laudable. But such goals must be rooted in reality.