The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran)Last month, numerous European lawmakers signed a statement that was sent to the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Stop appeasing the Iranian regime
The demand was to stop appeasing the Iranian regime and giving it concessions. The statement called for the severing of the European trade relationship with the Iranian regime unless the Iranian regime committed itself to improve its record in relation to human rights and its promotion of terrorist activities outside of its borders.
The statement mentioned the rise inside Iran of political repression as well as the terrorist trial taking place in a Belgian court of Iranian diplomat terrorist, Assadollah Assadi.
Iran diplomat-terrorist sentenced to 20 years in prison
Not long after the statement was delivered, the former 3rd counselor of the Iranian embassy in Vienna was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Three of his partners were also found guilty and were sentenced from 15 to 18 years in prison. The trial revealed that Iran was a terrorist threat and something needed to be done about it.
Not long before that a letter was compiled and sent to leading European Union officials including foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, with the signatures of 20 former government officials from more than twelve European countries. The statement urged European governments to reduce their diplomatic relations with the regime.
Javad Zarif involvement in terrorism
The two statements also targeted the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who probably approved Assadi’s actions such as the smuggling of an explosive device from Iran into Europe and the transfer of that device to two partners who were allocated the task of infiltrating the June 2018 rally of Iranian expatriates organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).
Assadi, it appears, told the operatives to position the bomb as close as possible to NCRI President-elect, Maryam Rajavi. By doing this many important Western political dignitaries who were responsible for delivering speeches could have lost their lives.
Terrorist attacks in Europe
The Assadi case revealed the ongoing danger of terrorist attacks in Europe conducted and approved by the Iranian regime. Assad’s partners were Iranian-Belgian dual nationals who had lived in Europe for many years uninterrupted. Analysis of documents seized at Assadi’s arrest indicates that he had been communicating with contacts spread throughout 11 European countries and that cash had been exchanged but no one knows what services were offered.
Despite Assadi’s conviction, there is still a high chance that a terrorist network is still in place. For this reason, the statement from the International Committee in Search of Justice declared that “the activities of Iran’s embassies, religious and cultural centers need to be scrutinized.”
The 2018 terror plot shows that inviting Iranian diplomats to the negotiating table is likely to endanger European security interests. But no one is taking these threats seriously and they are adhering to the status quo.
Just a few months ago, Iranian authorities were found to have lured a dissident journalist from France to Iraq as part of a sting operation then kidnapped him back to his homeland.
Human rights abuse in Iran
His name was Ruhollah Zam and he became a concern internationally following the announcement that he had been given the death sentence but this did not prevent the regime from carrying out that sentence. All these events take place in Iran because the West has no coherent stand on what it expects from Iran in terms of human rights responsibilities.
Despite the outcry internationally regarding Zam’s execution Borrell and other EU, foreign policy officials should recognize that the regime not bowing down to international pressure is a sign that Iran doesn’t expect any sort of retaliation for their deadly deed.
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube
