Thank you very much. It’s great to be back with you, and to see my dear friend, fellow colleague, Kelly Ayotte, and Senator Bozeman for hosting this meeting in this great room. And just to say thank you. For the organization of Iranian American communities for once again, that bringing us all together at a really, critical time in the fight for freedom in Iran.
So, Kelly and I were blessed really to be senators, and what, but, in my case, 24 years. But one thing you know is when you’re a former senator, You yield to current senators. So I’m going to proceed, but I’m gone to.
look for any sign from, my friends at another sitting senator busier than I at the moment is coming in. And I’ll be glad to, yield and maybe even come back if this time.
Let me start this way. When the history of the world in this year 2022 is written, I believe, Two dates will stand out as turning points, in international relations. The first is February 24th, 2022, which was the day that Russia invaded Ukraine. The second is September 16th, 2022. The day that a new wave. Of anti-regime protests led by women began in Iran after the death of Masha Amini, and those protests continue today, the 84th day. Seven weeks later, my friends, during the last decade, we have come often to this historic room. And to many others on Capitol Hill to protest, the government of Iran to stand with the, people of Iran. But this meeting today is different because those protests that began on September 16th, uh, continue. Not only undiminished but broader and deeper and more steadfast than ever before. What’s happening now in Iran is inspiring, but, but it’s also unprecedented, since the, the Islamic regime took over more than four decades ago.
This has become a genuine uprising and I think it’s time to start calling it what it is a revolution to liberate the people of Iran from the totalitarian government that has enslaved them for too many years.
So this remarkable historical event gives each of us. And, and today focus on our representatives in Congress, Unprecedented opportunities that we maybe didn’t dream would happen this soon. But it also gives us responsibilities to support the heroes of the revolution in Iran and to do everything we can to help them achieve their goal, which is and must be no less then the overthrow of the totalitarian terrorist regime in Tehran.
And let me say first that as we consider what should happen now, we have a, a responsibility, historic, and moral to look back and to pay tribute. For all who have held this hope of a free Iran alive for decades now, courageous Iranian patriots, both inside and outside the country, and I will say in this regard that no organization has done. To light Candles of hope and freedom through the darkest days of repression and mass murder in Iran that the National Council of Resistance in Iran led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, and really history must note that, but we can it by noting it and expressing our appreciation itself. Somebody once said to me long ago, comparing, fire and water, that if you pour water from a pitcher, there’s less water in the pitcher. If you take a light on a candle and light another candle, the first candle burns, uh, as brightly as ever.
And, and now if I may consider, And continue this metaphor. The lights, the lights that NCRI, MEK and organization of Iranian American communities have been lighting for decades, are now being held high. They, they, they’ve been, uh, spread, uh, by millions of Iranians. And, uh, as I said, what is true is that the torches that, uh, NCRI held up for years and have now been lighting the candles throughout, uh, the country have not, uh, diminished at all the, the torch of the NCR MEK grows brighter in my opinion, with each passing day. The organization gives us confidence that the current regime will be overthrown, and most importantly, that when it is there will be leaders ready to guide Iran smoothly into its free and democratic future.
And that is the organizations that you’re a part of. Now, as we look forward, I think we’ve got to ask ourselves, what can we ask of our, uh, leaders in Congress on behalf of the Freedom Fighters in Iran? Now, I am having set the table. I have a series of suggestions, but Bob, I’ve said that one thing former senators know is that they should yield to current senators.
What I want to say in terms of what we can ask. Now, Bob’s been a great leader on this.
First, the administration and Congress have to face reality. It’s impossible to make any trustworthy agreements with the regime in Tehran with their words and deeds. They have shown so clearly that they are implacable enemies of the United States and they are totally deceitful and therefore thoroughly unreliable.
I was sorry to see in just the last week that Secretary of State Blinken who I respect and like, has said regarding, America’s desire to end Iran’s dangerous nuclear weapons, uh, development program that the US always prefers diplomacy. We all always prefer diplomacy, but not with a country like the Islamic Republic of Iran which has repeatedly slammed the door to diplomacy in our face. It’s time for the US to stop currying favour with the Iranian regime. It’s time for the US to stop trying to appease the regime, even by attacking, uh, the, the worst enemies of the regime, including, uh, the NCRI It is time for the US to walk proudly and defiantly away from the demeaning negotiations with Iran for a new JCPOA, that game is over.
Okay? Second, and I’m going to try to go through these quickly with deference, Senator Menendez and Bob, if any point you, you know, no longer have the right to filibuster. So I don’t want to do it to you. First, second point I want to make is that President Biden really ought to deliver and address a public address on Iran speaking to the people of Iran, speaking to the Iranian diaspora, speaking to our people and speaking to the world in full-hearted support of the freedom fighters on the streets of Iran and, against the government of Iran today, which is clearly an enemy of the United States. Third, the US government should ask our E three allies in Europe to invoke snapback sanctions under Security Council resolution 22,31 that would formally end the JVPOA and restore the International Arms Embargo on Iran.
Fourth, US should continue to work with starlink and other companies with similar capabilities to provide free and secure internet for the Iranian people. Fifth, the US should create a special channel exempt from US sanctions to disperse frozen Iranian funds in foreign bank accounts to striking workers inside Iran.
The conversions of labour and political protest represents a really significant threat to the Islamic Republic. Six. The president and senior members of the administration should hold private and or public meetings with members of the Iranian diaspora, Iranian dissidents and opposition groups, including this group, given the connection of your membership to Iranians, fighting for their lives on the ground, establishing such a communication would be invaluable both to our government and to the Iranian Freedom fighters. Seventh of Congress should hold public hearings on the protests in Iran as Senator Menendez has already done. God bless him, including particularly the threats that have been made by the government of Iran against American citizens.
Eight, the US should work with encouraged social media platforms. Instagram and Twitter to stop Iran’s cyber offensives. In suppressing the voices of Iranian activists through tactics like Shadow banning. Ninth, the US should, uh, expel former officials of the Islamic Republic who live in the US and our sympathizers and supporters of the Iranian regime, and you know who they are.
Tenth, the US should encourage, encourage our allies and partners to isolate Iran diplomatically, the, the Europeans still don’t do that. We should. They should reduce, the Iranian diplomatic presence, shutter their embassies, refuse meetings and support the US-led effort to strip the Islamic Republic of its membership in international organizations.
Eleventh, US and our allies in Europe should pursue multilateral sanctions against Iran’s most senior leadership, including the Supreme leader and Raisi, making use of our respective Magnitsky ACT authorities. Twelveth. The US and Europe should focus on the families of Iranian regime officials who are living in the US, in, in Europe, and revoke their visas and confiscate their assets.
Similar efforts have been used successfully against the Russian oligarchs in the aftermath of the, uh, of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. And finally, thirteenth. The US government should strictly enforce our sanctions that are already on the books. Legal authority, including seizing Iranian oil tankers, my friends.
I know that’s an aggressive set of recommendations, far-reaching, but just think of what, uh, the government and Iran is doing. It’s, it’s firing weapons that the peaceful protestors in the last few days. It’s begun to execute protestors. They’ve arrested after sham trials. And, they deserve thirteenth, uh, points that I’ve raised and much more for what they’re doing and what they’ve done today.
Today, The people of Iran are putting their lives at grave risk in a heroic revolution against their government for the same values that are enshrined in the American Declaration of Independence, there are values. Will we stand passively by and allow our enemies, sworn enemies in the Iranian government to prevail?
Will we look back and say, why didn’t we do more at this turning point in history? Or will we do everything we possibly can to help the people of Iran achieve victory? The moral answer is clear, The, the, the answer in the interest of the United States of America and our values is clear, we must act boldly in support of the freedom fighters now on the streets of Iran.
We’re entering a time of religion, if you will, religious observance, as Kelly said, so beautiful. So I end with a somewhat religious, political, statement, from Thomas Jefferson. And these were the words that Jefferson originally proposed for the Great Seal of the United States. And they’re particularly apt for a government that claims to be religious as the one in Tehran.
Jefferson suggested these words. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. So, in some in Iran, today, America must stand against the tyrants with God and with the American people. Thank you very, very much.