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.
Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York joined the summit. In his remarks, Mr. Giuliani said, “The real solution is in the hands of the Iranian people. The Iranian people want to control their own lives and nations. They want to be respected across the world. The MEK and NCRI present a democratic alternative to this regime of terror. They can take Iran through the transition.”
Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to address you, particularly at a time of year when we’re used to getting together in New York in front of the United Nations. We’ve been doing it—I’ve been doing it at least with you for my goodness it seems like 15, 16 years. And we’ve been through a lot. If I think back to the first time I was there, which I believe was in 2008, things have changed a lot. And though we’d like to see it change even more, and it will, you have made a lot of progress, particularly under the leadership of Madame Rajavi.
The regime is showing every indication that they’re on their last legs. Everyone knows they are a regime of terror. From the late 1970s until now, every year has been terror and slaughter. They have the worst record in killing their own people. But they continue to receive support from countries that should know better.
For too long, the United States was sympathetic to Iran. It seemed to be a priority to keep a dangerous nuclear agreement. Why? There’s no reason for it. Nor is there any reason for European governments to not support sanctions against the regime.
Since the administration has changed from one that was conciliatory to Iran to one that has imposed sanctions, there’s been a complete difference to what is happening in Iran.
The sanctions have been made more severe, and more have joined us. That pressure has brought about the protests in Iran that started two years ago and have remained continuous and gained more and more support. It began with people who have been fighting for freedom since the beginning, but it has expanded to the general population, to people who have suffered because the regime does not take care of its people and slaughters them.
The world is now facing a crucial question on the policy toward Iran. The dispute is on whether the arms embargo on the regime should be lifted or more severe sanctions should be imposed. The arms embargo is critical to keep the status quo in place, but we have to go further.
Europeans have refused to support the United States. They claim to defend freedom and democracy and human rights. But they have abandoned those principles. They are doing business with a barbaric regime. They have abandoned methods of pressure that can free the people of Iran from bondage.
They supposedly have high regards for human rights and lecture others. But what about the human rights of the Iranian people? All of the money they are giving to Iran and all the help they give Iran by turning their eye on the barbaric acts of the regime is getting people killed. Don’t you realize the money is going to terrorists, and terrorists kill people?
The regime is killing people. They’re a regime that is desperate, and the best indication is that they are striking out hard. The situation is getting worse in Iran. They recently executed wrestling champion Navid Afkari for protesting. He was protesting the barbarity of the regime. Mostafa Salehi was executed for the same charge. The MEK announced recently that 20 other people are on death row for political charges, for opposing the regime. That is a barbaric dictatorship. You should not be doing business with them.
The regime of terror has increased its terrorist activities against the Iranian opposition.
Three things must be priority:
- the suffering of the Iranian people and their desire for change. They’ve had enough of this regime.
- Preventing the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The regime should not be trusted with nuclear weapons.
- There must be an end to the regime’s meddling and terrorist activities in the region and across the world. Terrorism and peace don’t go together. Agreements with people who sponsor terrorism are only agreements in words.
The real solution is in the hands of the Iranian people. The Iranian people want to control their own lives and nations. They want to be respected across the world. The MEK and NCRI present a democratic alternative to this regime of terror. They can take Iran through the transition. We have a government in exile that will make sure your country moves forward with prosperity. Iran is afraid of Madam Rajavi’s vision for a future Iran, her ten-point plan.
