Shahriar Kia
FamilySecurityMatters.org., June 8, 2010

The Iranian people’s year long uprising against the Iranian regime has caught the whole world off guard and changed the West’s political calculations on Iran, which in the past was affected by the mullahs’ propaganda and their lobbies in the US and Europe. The Iranian people’s uprising proved regime’s instability and the people’s demand for a change. Ruthless suppression of the opposition in Iran showed that until the velayat- e- faqieh (the religious supreme leader) is in power, free elections and change from within the regime is nothing but a dream. The demand of the Iranian people and their Resistance is the complete and unconditional overthrow of this regime’s entirety and the establishment of democracy in Iran. True and deep understanding of this fact will make western policy makers able to reach a real solution for the current crisis with Tehran.

The Iranian people’s uprising is the result of a seriously explosive situation in a society that has suffered years of dictatorship, suppression, corruption and crimes. The potential explosive state of the society is the result of 3 decades of resistance of the Iranian people and its organized alternative, passing Iran from a point of no return. 120 thousand executions of PMOI members and supporters have been the heavy price paid to keep alive the democratic change in Iran. By profiting from the rift resulting between the regime’s highest officials, the potential drive of the people’s uprising rose and found room to make its presence felt. With the escalation of crisis within the regime and fall of the velayat e faqieh talisman, staging protests and expressing hatred of this regime became possible.

Although the Iranian regime rounded up all its suppressive forces nationwide and used arbitrary arrests, torture and public executions in attempts to cause fear among the people, but demonstrations and protests in Tehran and many other major cities continued, showing the train of change has left the station and could not be stopped. The main maxim of this uprising is “Death to Dictator” and “Death to the velayat-e-faqieh principle”, targeting the regime’s foundations. As the time passed, this slogan has strengthened among the people. It is undeniably clear that the goal of the protesters is the complete overthrow of this regime and nothing less.

The Iranian regime has tried to distance the young generation from the political arena. Yet during the uprisings, this young generation has actually matured politically and has taken the course of an enduring opposition and the organized Resistance for regime change. On the contrary, the mullahs have intensified suppression domestically and the expansion of crisis and terrorism in its foreign policy. Following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the mullahs established their front lines against the West in Iraq by supporting terrorism, meddling in Iraq and speeding their nuclear ambitions to obtain atomic weapons, all to sustain its internal and external crisis.

The uprising is of strategic importance for the Iranian people and their Resistance, directly or indirectly pursuing the mullahs overthrow. That is why the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance have granted this issue the highest priority and aim to achieve the Iranian regime’s overthrow. The PMOI’s call for demonstrations and protests from June 10th to the 20th of this year, as the 1st anniversary of the uprising, is now being distributed among people and college students in cities across the country. Beside the PMOI’s ability in organizing the people in Iran, and economic pressures that instigate the nationwide uprisings, families of 120 thousand members of the PMOI – executed by the regime – are an effective force and stimulant of resistance against the Iranian regime. Therefore, fearing the existence of such a force, the Iranian regime has taken serious measures to arrest and PMOI supporters and those who have family members in Camp Ashraf, Iraq, where members of the PMOI are residing. Unfortunately, the US terror listing of the PMOI legitimizes these atrocious acts of suppression by the regime. The FTO list has been the core of the US maintaining its appeasement on Tehran.

The Iranian Resistance has insisted on the mullahs’ internal instability for years and described the reason of this regime’s continued existence as being its two pillars of domestic suppression, and support of terrorism in its foreign policy. However, some Western analysts, and of course governments involved in profitable economic deals with the mullahs, approve and reiterate the Iranian regime’s words in this regard and actually claim the mullahs’ rule is firm and steady. Yet we see that the Iranian people’s uprising has made clear the fact that the Iranian regime’s irrational stability actually not existed. Mullahs are profiting from the West’s strategic mistakes in confronting this regime, particularly in Iraq.

To justify their economic relations with the mullahs, some argue that by sanctioning Tehran, nationalistic pride will rise in favor of the mullahs. Of course, Khamenei and Ahmadinejad delightedly welcome such arguments and provoke them in every possible way. However, the Iranian people clearly answered this issue. When Iranian regime officials provoke the people chanting “Death to America”, the people answer them ’Death to Russia”! This is the most obvious expression of the Iranian people’s hatred regarding the appeasement policy toward the mullahs, showing they are willing to endure sanctions and resulting pressures, to gain freedom from the religious dictatorship.

The persistence of this wrong policy by the worlds’ major powers by any excuses, this time will not only render the Iranian people as the main losers, rather the international community will also suffer severely. Human rights violations and the killing of the people are nowhere in the world recognized as an internal matter that some people claim. Inaction regarding crimes and killings in Iran, apathy towards the demand of millions of Iranians that took to the streets and cried “Death to Dictator” and called for freedom, have created a very negative image of the West among the Iranian people.

On New Years’ Eve of 1978, President Jimmy Carter, being the guest for a dinner with the Shah in Iran said, “Iran is the island of stability.” One year and 16 days later, Shah was forced to leave Iran once and for all. However, Iran’s current political status is much more critical compared to January 1978.

Change is on the way in Iran. The West must stand with the Iranian people and their Resistance. The policy of appeasement with the mullahs must end and instead severe economic and diplomatic sanctions should be imposed on Mullahs.