Lord Maginnis: NCRI presents stark contrast to the Iranian status quo

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass, an independent member of the UK House of Lords and prominent member of the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom (BPCIF), said in an article on The Diplomat website that the nuclear deal will not bring a moderate Iran.

He said that in the year since the nuclear deal was signed “a softer, gentler Iran” that was hoped for is still not a reality. Instead, the Iranian regime, he explained has increased support for the “murderous” Assad regime, Hezbollah, Shiite militias and other terrorist groups abroad.

Lord Maginnis highlights that President Hassan Rouhani is far from being the moderate he claims. He “has exceeded the brutality and extremism of his predecessor” and the nuclear program seems to continue developing. He also pointed out that executions and ballistic missiles do not contribute to moderation in any way.

He mentioned the 9th July “Free Iran” rally in Paris where 100,000 Iranian expatriates and their international supporters gathered “in a massive show of force”. He said that Mrs Maryam Rajavi, the keynote speaker and the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), “assembled a solid show of support among Iranians at home and abroad”.

He said that Mrs. Rajavi “has for some years presented a stark contrast to the Iranian status quo, calling for a truly democratic Iran. He quoted Rajavi who said: “A new era will dawn in Iran; a society based on separation of religion and state, and gender equality will blossom.” He said that Rajavi’s moderation brings thousands of supporters – not just Iranian ones, but also leading politicians from all over the world.

“The most striking aspect of the NCRI’s international political support is that the list of politicians attending would rarely, if ever, be seen together except at this kind of event – a response to the national tragedy that exists under Rouhani and the Mullahs.”

He said that the presence of Turki bin Faisal Al-Saud, a prominent member of the Saudi royal family, its former intelligence chief and a former ambassador to the United States and UK, is an indicator that “the momentum is shifting against the Iranian regime”. He said that the presence of Prince Turki marks the first time Saudi support was publicly given to any group opposed to the Iranian regime. Lord Maginnis said this was not just a gamble, but a “purposeful and calculated statement by the Saudis, indicating an expectation that the NCRI will continue to gain momentum that could ultimately lead to regime change”.

He also highlighted the Iranian regime’s “hysterical” reaction to the gathering “and its message included summoning the French ambassador to Tehran with the aim of intimidating the French for allowing a peaceful rally to take place”.

He ended: “Mrs Rajavi and her formidable workforce have a clearly enunciated, pluralistic, and democratic vision. The free world should not be content to relegate this to merely a once-a-year event.”