A bipartisan summit was held in Washington on Saturday in solidarity with Iran’s nationwide uprising and the Iranian people’s effort to establish a democratic, secular, non-nuclear republic.
This event was attended by several well-known American politicians, including former Vice President Mike Pence. Saturday’s event and its speakers expressed their full support for the organized resistance of the Iranian people, including the People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and its parent coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI ). The panelists echoed the voice of Iranians who reject any form of tyranny by chanting, “death to the tyrant, be it the Shah or the mullahs,” and dismissed the false notion of the return of the deposed Pahlavi dictatorship to Iran.
The main speaker of this conference was Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President Elect of NCRI. Referring to the leading role of the MEK in this uprising, Mrs. Rajavi said: “The regime has never hesitated to use its so-called opponents to counter its main enemy, the MEK. This is because the regime sees the MEK as the engine of the uprising and its overthrow from power.”
“In this context, the regime seeks to obscure the democratic alternative by promoting the remnants of the previous regime, which is nothing but a “transition” from the current regime to the previous regime,” she added.
While referring to the disastrous outcome of the West’s appeasement policy towards Tehran, Mrs. Rajavi underlined that “the missing link in Western policy is the exclusion it makes of the Iranian people and its Resistance from the equation in Iran. This has harmful effects not only for the people of Iran, but also for the region and the world.”
In his remarks, former US Vice President Mike Pence supported the Iranian people’s goal to establish a secular, democratic, non-nuclear Iranian republic whose powers derive from the consent of the governed.
“I know I speak for tens of millions of Americans of both political parties and every political philosophy when I say from the bottom of my heart that the American people support your goal of creating a secular, democratic, non-nuclear Iranian republic whose powers they originate from the consent of the governed,” he said.
Speaking out against the policy of appeasement, Vice President Pence rejected the idea of a renewed nuclear deal with Iran, stating that it would not bring peace and stability, but instead more terrorism, death, destruction and destabilization of the region.
“Peace has never worked and will never work. A renewed nuclear deal will not bring peace and stability. It will bring more terrorism, death and destruction and destabilize the region. A renewed deal will not block Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb. A renewed nuclear deal will not benefit the people of Iran in any way, shape or form,” Pence said, adding that “Peace is only possible through force.”
Pence called on the Biden administration to cease all efforts in support of nuclear negotiations with Tehran and stand by the people of Iran.
The 48th US Vice President and Governor of Indiana rejected the notion of restoring Iran’s deposed monarchy and not having an alternative to the ruling theocracy. “One of the biggest lies of the ruling regime to the world is that there is no alternative to the status quo. But you know that’s not true. There is an alternative, a well-organized, fully prepared, perfectly qualified, widely supported alternative. And I want to thank Maryam Rajavi for her extraordinary leadership and inspiration to the world,” he said.
“The regime must know that we are not being lied to by fake reformers and puppets of the regime who claim to be moderates. We know that many of these so-called reformers offer nothing more than false hope and the illusion of change. The people of Iran want real change, and real change is exactly what the MEK offers,” added Mr. Pence.
Pence praised the resistance movement in Iran, which he believes is a revolution in the making. He also supported Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for the future of Iran, which would ensure freedom of expression, assembly, religion and the right to choose their own leaders. Pence called on all free nations to support the Iranian people in their call for freedom. “Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for the future of Iran will ensure freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and the freedom of every Iranian to choose their own leaders.”
The next speaker for the audience was General Wesley Clark, former Chief of Staff of the US Army. He expressed his support for the MEK, stating that they are a vital force for freedom and democracy, not only in Iran, but also as a living example around the world.
“For years, the MEK resisted the Ayatollah from its base in Iraq, and then you got in the middle of the conflict between Saddam and the United States, and it took more years to sort that out. Now you are settled in Albania, you are settled there safely and you are a vital force for freedom and democracy. And not only in Iran. You are an example, a living example around the world,” he said.
He underlined that the revolution is already taking place in Iran, with the increase of determined popular protests and that the reign of the ayatollahs is coming to an end. General Clark also praised Ms. Rajavi’s ten-point plan, which he believes holds the key to a peaceful and prosperous Iran. “The revolution is already taking place, step by step, with the increase of determined popular protests. A popular, democratic, secular program announced and delivered on 100 different channels by Mrs. Rajavi and brave student leaders,” he said about this plan.
The next speaker, Gov. Gary Locke, former Commerce Secretary and US ambassador to China, urged the international community to treat Tehran “as the junk country it is.”
“The international community must stand by the Iranian people in their historic and heroic struggle for freedom and democracy. “International bodies, from the UN to the World Court, must hold the regime’s leaders accountable for decades of crimes against humanity,” he said.
Governor Locke also rejected the concept of returning the deposed Pahlavi dictatorship. “The revolution you are supporting is about establishing democracy and freedom in Iran. It has nothing to do with returning to the dark and brutal days of the Shah’s dictatorial monarchy. The people of Iran have paid a heavy price in their resistance against two dictatorships, the current regime and the Shah,” he said.
Governor Sam Brownback, former governor of Kansas, also joined his colleagues in supporting the Iranian people’s demand for democracy, saying that “The Iranian people can and will overthrow their rulers. This is what they are doing now. I pray for the success of the people of Iran to end this night of tyranny and be free.”
Former US Senator Robert Torricelli underlined that the heavy price MEK members and Iranians have paid in their struggle for freedom is not in vain and no one can benefit from it without being part of this four-decade struggle.
“I have seen this situation before. The train starts to leave the station, towards victory. And as he leaves, people try to catch up with him. Understand. Understand. Be carefull. Everyone is welcome in this cause, everyone, Iranians and non-Iranians. The past is the past. We are moving forward. But we will not exchange one theocracy for another kleptocracy,” he said.
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