On the brink of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, an online international summit, entitled “Trans-Atlantic Summit on Iran Policy, Time to Hold the Iranian Regime Accountable,” brought together Iranians in various countries around the world from 10,000 locations.

Among the personalities who addressed the summit were 30 bipartisan U.S. lawmakers from the House and the Senate, including Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Bob Menendez, and dignitaries like Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor, General James Jones, National Security Advisor to President Obama (2009-2010), Newt Gingrich, 50th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Joseph Lieberman, former U.S. Senator, as well as a delegation of U.K. lawmakers, and Amb. Giulio Terzi, former Foreign Minister of Italy.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the keynote speaker of the summit, paid tribute to Navid Afkari, a rebellious national hero recently executed by the regime and said: “Faced with executions and massacres, the people of Iran urge the United Nations, and the U.N. Security Council, in particular, to restore snapback sanctions stipulated in the six U.N. resolutions against the clerical regime in Iran. Otherwise, Khamenei will continue to ravage the nation as his regime’s survival depends on murder and suppression. If Khamenei were to stop executions, he would lose control of the situation, and uprisings simmering in the depths of Iranian society would erupt and overthrow the mullahs’ religious fascism.”

Speakers in the summit demanded justice for over 30,000 MEK and other activists, political prisoners massacred in 1988. They urged an end to the policy of appeasement and demanded those who ordered and carried out this great crime, who currently occupy high positions in the regime, to be brought to justice.
Ambassador Robert Joseph, former Undersecretary for Arms Control & International Security of the U.S. Department of State joined to the summit. In his remarks, Ambassador Joseph said, “The Resistance Units are the true beacons of freedom. You’ve endured suffering at the hands of the regime for standing up for democracy and a secular republic. Your sacrifices and your success will inspire the next generation in Iran.”

Ambassador Robert Joseph, former Undersecretary for Arms Control & International Security of the U.S. Department of State

The Resistance Units are the true beacons of freedom. You’ve endured suffering at the hands of the regime for standing up for democracy and a secular republic. Your sacrifices and your success will inspire the next generation in Iran.

The end of the religious dictatorship is in sight. Even the policy of appeasement can’t save the religious dictatorship from its ultimate fate. We’re at a crossroads. The future of Iran will be affected by decisions made in the next months. 

We’ll snap back sanctions on the regime because of violations of the JCPOA. The regime openly acknowledges the violations. Will other countries follow the US lead to snap back sanctions? The practical effect is that companies will not want to do business with Iran. Companies will have to choose whether they will do business with the U.S. or Iran.

What will US policy be in Iran in the next administration? After the elections, will the US maintain a policy of maximum pressure or return to appeasement? The hope that the regime will reform is just a fantasy. 

Iran’s economy is in freefall, driven to bankruptcy because of the regime’s incompetence and its pursuit  of terrorism. The mullahs know the people will never forgive them for the tens of thousands of deaths due to the pandemic. The mass killings in Iran are an act of desperation. 

What lies ahead? One path is to return to the failed policies of the past, often characterized as diplomacy over war. This is a masquerade, a false choice. We know the nuclear deal didn’t put the regime on a more moderate path.

The central problem is not the absence of an agreement or negotiations. More negotiations will only lead to more brutality. The problem is the regime itself. It will never abandon terrorism.

The second path is to continue maximum pressure against the regime. We must deny the regime any legitimacy. Most important, we must support the democratic opposition. It is the Iranian people who will decide the future.