Bob Blackman, MP, addressed an online event on October 15, 2020, on the Iranian regime’s terrorism and how it undermines global security.
The event, hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Members of Parliament of the U.K. and Irish politicians joined the online conference. Also, many Iranians supporters of the MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)from various countries participated in the event. They focused on the fact that the Iran’s regime is a critical threat to global security, which is especially true considering the mullahs’ terror plots in Europe.
The event came in the wake of new threats by the regime’s incarcerated diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi. Assadi, who arrested following the regime’s foiled bomb plot against the NCRI’s “Free Iran” gathering in 2018 in Paris, threatened Belgian authorities with attacks by the mullahs’ proxy groups if he is found guilty.
The foiled bomb plot in 2018 and Assadi’s threats once again underline the need for European countries to take firm action against the mullahs’ regime.
Bob Blackman, MP, in the Iranian opposition NCRI online conference—October 15, 2020
I thank the Chairman for that kind introduction. And dear friends and colleagues, it’s a pleasure to join with you today for this very important conference. As some people know, I’m personally involved and interested in this case against the arrested Iranian diplomat, Asadi, because I’m one of those who has filed a complaint against three Iranian regimes for its role in the terror plot as a third party in the court in Belgium.
In September 2018, I took part in a press conference in London to warn about the surge in the Iranian regime’s terrorist activities in Europe that I’m sure are being discussed before I spoke and will be discussed later today. At the conference that we had, as long ago as September 2018, NCRI UK representative office presented new details that showed that this wave of terror plots in Europe were decided at the very highest levels in Tehran, including the Supreme Leader, Khamenei, and the President, Hassan Rouhani. Now, just remember, just before the bomb plot was fold in Paris, Rouhani, who had a phone call to the French President, Emmanuel Macron. They asked the president to limit the activities of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and her resistance movement in France. The French president, who is not necessarily someone that I strongly support, rightfully refused this demand by Rouhani because Europe is based on the right to express freedom of speech and assembly. So, the regime responded as it always does and always will do when it doesn’t get its way by using terrorism.
In July 2018, I and five other cross-party colleagues put forward an early day motion in the House of Commons, which was ultimately supported by 76 cross-party MPs. Our motion read, and I think this is worth repeating, that this house strongly condemns the attempted bombing at the gathering of the Iranian opposition in Paris. The free Iran movement strongly condemns Iran’s regime over its terrorist activities in Europe, and the misuse of diplomatic privileges, reiterates the need to try the suspects and expel other Iranian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover. Or as ex-members of the opposition, calls for a robust policy to confront Iran’s malign activities, and reiterates this incident, which demonstrates the regime’s fear of thee MEK/PMOI, and the National Council of Resistance of Iran coalition as the democratic alternative in its exile.
So, as I listened to the other speakers today, I want to reiterate what many of the recommendations put forward today have very widespread support in the United Kingdom, in the House of Commons, and on a cross party basis. We know that the regime is a very serious threat to all of our interests. We know that the regime has attacked our embassy in Tehran, is engaged in cyber-attacks against the UK Parliament, and now we have his diplomat who is about to be prosecuted for terrorism, threatening the court and European countries with even more terrorism if he’s convicted for the terrorist charge. All of this goes to show the United Kingdom and our European allies must end the appeasement policy on Iran, and abandoned once and for all, the long-held illusion that somehow moderates will emerge from within the theocratic dictatorship and usher much needed reforms in Iran.
We were told that Rouhani is such a man by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom as a Commons back in 2014, but we must proceed with caution. Now the reality is, it seems that the warnings were justified as terrorism has increased. And human rights situation in Iran has deteriorated under Rouhani’s tenure.
The time has now come for us to stand firm against this regime, join our American allies in pursuing the campaign of maximum pressure and support the reimposition of all United Nations sections on the regime. We were also as we’ve heard joined US in prescribing the IRGC in its entirety as a terrorist organization. As the late great Sir Winston Churchill once said, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping that it leads him last.” Now, the regime’s terrorism has reached Europe at the time, need to act it now. The UK can now obviously act on its own, following Brexit, and support the imposition of all United Nations sections and prescribe the IRGC. And I urge our UK government to do so.
I hope the government will take the lead on a pressure campaign on the regime in Iran and lead the way for our European allies to follow. I think in ending, I have joined 83 other colleagues in the House of Commons in writing to the Foreign Secretary, calling on him to end the policy of supplying arms to Iran, which is currently still going on. We understand the supply of arms to this terrorist regime. So, thank you all for your participation in this conference today and you have my unending support, until such time as we’ve restored democracy to Iran, and installed Maryam Rajavi, and a democratic institution as the leaders of Iran. Thank you.
