UK Parliament Cross-Party Meets on Iranian Regime’s Actions

A group, including cross-party members of parliament, Middle Eastern affairs and counter-terrorism experts, and representatives from various Anglo-Iranian Associations, met at the UK Parliament on October 24, 2023. They discussed the destabilizing actions of the Iranian regime in the Middle East and the potential for protests within Iran.

Key points from the meeting included discussions on Iran’s role in inciting conflict in the Middle East, the need for a strong UK policy towards Tehran, and calls to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Speakers emphasized support for protests led by Iranian women.

Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool, co-president of the British Committee for Iran Freedom, highlighted the Iranian regime’s strategic export of terrorism to maintain domestic authoritarian rule. He emphasized the regime’s perception of the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people as a significant threat to its control.

He identified the ongoing critical geopolitical challenge in the Middle East as the struggle between the oppressive religious regime in Iran and the people’s desire for self-governance. Recent events in Iran and the surrounding region provide compelling evidence supporting this assertion.

For the past forty years, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has advocated for democratic reform. Its President-elect, Mrs. Rajavi, has presented a Ten-Point democratic plan, offering a legitimate and widely supported alternative to the current regime.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), addressed the meeting via video, emphasizing the regime’s aggressive actions in the region and the importance of designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Professor Walid Phares highlighted the regime’s control over terrorist organizations. Professor Phares stated, “Since the Mahsa Amini killing and in light of the numerous revolts, demonstrations, and protests we’ve witnessed within Iran and worldwide, these events pose a significant threat to the regime more than anything else in the region.”

 

MP Bob Blackman, co-president of the International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran (ICPDI), called for the UK to officially designate the IRGC. MP Bob Blackman, expressed serious concerns within Parliament about the regime in Tehran and its extensive influence across the Middle East, including our own country.

“We must maintain a strong policy on Iran. Rather than rewarding the regime for its involvement in terrorism and aggression, all democratic nations should stand in solidarity with the courageous people of Iran and provide them with an opportunity. The NCRI is the only credible organization for this purpose, and the only credible individual I’ve encountered concerning Iran is Madam Rajavi. We must convey to the mullahs in unequivocal terms that their time is over. They must yield to the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people. We have a democratic alternative that can be exceptionally successful.”

MP Alex Sobel emphasized the prescription of the IRGC as a minimum action, while MP Jim Shannon expressed the need to end the policy of appeasement. Other MPs and speakers voiced their support for the Iranian people’s democratic aspirations and called for designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

The meeting also included statements from Azadeh Zabeti and Musa Zahed, emphasizing the need for the UK and the West to recognize the Iranian people’s struggle and designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The meeting was attended by various parliamentary figures, lawyers, and members of human rights committees.