President Joe Biden recently appeared to break with the US position of not calling for regime change in Iran when he said, “We are going to liberate Iran.”
His comments before an audience in Los Angeles last Thursday were soon qualified by John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, who noted that Biden was “expressing, again, our solidarity” with the Iranian protesters and not outlining a new focus.
Since protests began in Iran immediately after the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the country’s morality police on September 13 for not wearing a hijab, more than 300 deaths have been reported.
A new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has called on Biden to go further in strengthening his support for the Iranian people.
DISTURBING VIDEO SHOWS IRAN POLICE VITALLY BEATING ANTI-REGIME PROTESTER
“President Biden’s apparent endorsement of regime change in Iran is welcome. But he can go further to support the Iranian people,” wrote Tzvi Kahn, an FDD researcher.
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran, Iran, on September 19, 2022.
(West Asian News Agency via Reuters//File)
Kahn believes the US reluctance to call for regime change stems from the Biden administration’s hopes to revive Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with the country.
The United States and its allies have issued increasingly forceful statements criticizing Iran’s human rights abuses, while downplaying their earlier emphasis on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, known formally as the Plan. Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA),” he wrote. Re-entering the deal would mean billions of dollars in sanctions relief for Iran.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT MADE A ‘CALCULATION’ TO PRIORITIZE THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL OVER HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
The White House has gradually shown its support for the protesters. Two weeks after the demonstrations, he finally issued a statement in early October: “For decades, the Iranian regime has denied fundamental freedoms to its people and suppressed the aspirations of successive generations through intimidation, coercion and violence. The United States stands with the women and all citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their courage.”
The State Department was quicker to condemn Iran’s regime when Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement on September 22 announcing sanctions on top Iranian officials and expressing support for the protesters.
Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk, is hopeful that Biden’s most recent comments are indicative of change to come in Washington.
“Thanks to nearly two months of courageous tenacity by Iranian protesters against the brutal regime in Iran, the Biden administration is beginning to show that it understands the seriousness of this movement,” Daftari told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
Daftari, who has covered the protests since the beginning, continued: “Whether it’s emotionally, through the compelling and harrowing videos and footage of the protests in the streets, or through significant political pressure brought to bear on the White House and lawmakers to get them away from the JCPOA and to support the people of Iran instead of appeasing the mullahs, there seems to have been something of a shift in Washington, DC.”
Students from Sharif University of Technology protest in Tehran, Iran, on October 7, 2022.
(AP Photo)
On October 26, the US Treasury Department announced a new round of sanctions “on Iranian officials who oversee organizations involved in violent repression and killing, including children, as part of our commitment to hold all levels of government accountable.” Iranian for its repression.”
AMERICAN ACADEMICS URGE BIDEN TO ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE REPRESSION OF PROTESTS IN IRAN
“The White House should explicitly revoke its offer of sanctions relief to Iran,” Kahn said. “Washington must not provide an economic lifeline to a regime that continues to slaughter its own people.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at the United Nations.
(Peter Aitken for Fox News Digital)
At an event organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on October 13, the US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, insisted that the possibility of re-entering the JCPOA was not influencing US support for Iran. protesters.
“I think people have to understand that they weren’t tying our hands because of… this hope that maybe one day there’s a deal… We’re taking action. We’re not waiting. We’re taking action that we think is consistent and necessary to advance our values and our national security interests.
Malley faced backlash for a tweet he sent in October that said protesters were demonstrating “for his government to respect their dignity and human rights.” The activists pointed out that the demonstrations were in fact about regime change and not a call to action for the current regime in Iran. Malley acknowledged that his tweet was wrong, telling the Iran International news outlet that his post had been “badly worded.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Kahn noted that the White House has not been clear enough about whether negotiations on the JCPOA would resume if the protests fade.
“To remove such ambiguity, President Biden should reject further talks and adopt a maximum pressure policy on Iran,” he said.
Following Biden’s remarks last week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reacted by saying: “A few hours ago, I was informed that the President of the United States absentmindedly [said], ‘Soon we will liberate Iran.’ We were freed 43 years ago,” Raisi said in a televised speech on Friday. “The United States aims to destroy our national unity and coherence.”
