The meeting convened on Thursday, May 18, featured an address by Iranian opposition President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
During the hearing, Maryam Rajavi lauded the Iranian uprising for significantly altering Iran’s political landscape. She insisted the movement was not spontaneous but rather a culmination of a 40-year-long struggle by the Iranian people and resistance. Furthermore, she attributed a substantial part of this development to women’s prominent roles. Rajavi expressed her firm belief in the Iranian people’s capability to overthrow the regime, underpinning freedom as their pivotal belief.
McClintock went further, calling for U.S. administration support for Iranian opposition movements towards a free, secular, and democratic Iran. In response, GOP Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) commended Rajavi’s efforts as vital, linking her struggle for freedom and liberty to the American struggle for independence.
This assembly comes amid continued protests across Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody for violating the regime’s strict public dress code for women. The incident sparked widespread protests and led to a severe clampdown by the regime, leading to multiple recorded instances of brutal assaults on protesters.
On May 19, Iran executed three men convicted of killing security force members during these protests. This act has drawn widespread condemnation from rights groups.
As tensions continue to rise, a bipartisan House majority in March endorsed a resolution supporting a democratic Republic of Iran and calling for a new Iran policy. The NCRI, Iran’s parliament in exile, has indicated that Iran is currently experiencing a revolution in the making, no longer able to contain the uprising. This development has sparked widespread concern for the future of the largest state sponsor of terrorism worldwide.
