How to Kick Out the Ayatollahs in Iran

Home > World > Iran > How to Kick Out the Ayatollahs in Iran

BY SHAHRIAR KIA Tuesday, January 9, 2018 

Demonstrators in Washington, D.C. call for a regime change in Iran (Photo: Courtesy)

Last Friday, based on a request made by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, the UN Security Council weighed in on the Iran protests.

Enabling the voice of the Iranian people being heard in the Security Council is a strategic step forward for the nation’s uprising. It also provides a roadmap for the international community to find a practical and stable solution to the challenge posed by the rogue regime in Tehran.

What are the main characteristics of this uprising?

1. The Iranian regime is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and extremism in the world, posing a serious threat in the face of peace and security in the Middle East and across the globe.The shameful appeasement policy as well as the so-called “containment” policy of the West towards Iran (that has only furthered domestic crackdowns and increased extremism and terrorism — especially during the eight Obama years) has now come to an end. The current uprising in Iran proves the solution lies in regime change.
   This is doable without foreign military action; it is only necessary to stand alongside the Iranian people and their organized resistance — and stop appeasing the mullahs.
2. The current uprising in Iran is not spontaneous. It is the result of 36 years of perseverance and resistance by a nation that has stood firm in the face of the inhuman conditions imposed by the religious and bloodthirsty dictatorship.
   Since Ayatollah Khomeini took power in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, 120,000 Iranian have been executed by this regime. The Iranian people rose up against the Shah’s dictatorship, wanting to replace it with freedom and democracy. However, in the chaos, Khomeini was able to hijack the revolution.
   The mullahs have since been able to maintain their rule through violent oppression. The international community’s silence and inaction in the face of Tehran’s crackdown against dissidents and meddling in other countries has played a key role in the regime’s survival.
   The uprising currently spreading across Iran is tantamount to a pressure cooker ready to blow its lid. Although poverty, employment and economic hardship were the trigger to the current protests, obtaining freedom and democracy is its main objective.
3. Various international media outlets that continue to promote appeasement with the regime claim the current popular uprising is neither organized nor directed and will thus fade out shortly. They therefore urge us to give in and negotiate with the regime.
   Yet a view from the ground shows that the uprising is actually organized and directed. Today, more than 115 cities are voicing united demands for the overthrow of the regime.
4. By restricting and blocking internet access, the Iranian regime is attempting to depict the uprising as ending. In fact, the protests continue as we speak. The regime is attempting to cloak the truth and remove the voice of the Iranian people from the world to pave the path for a nationwide crackdown.
   An international effort is needed to support and provide internet access to the Iranian people. U.S. President Donald Trump and senior government officials have strongly supported the Iranian people’s uprising. This is a legitimate and correct move, as public support is necessary for the Iranian people.
5. The Iranian people are demanding the overthrow of this regime, chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to Rouhani.” They want the regime replaced with a democratic republic. They are also chanting, “Let go of Syria, think about us,” and “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran.”
   These demands were expressed years ago in a 10-point plan presented by the National Council of Resistance of Iran. This plan is based on internationally-recognized principles of human rights, good neighborliness, gender equality and a non-nuclear Iran.
   The plan enjoys vast support among Iranians inside the country and abroad, alongside an armada of international dignitaries, especially in the U.S. and Congress.
   “Not only has Iran’s theocracy lost its legitimacy, but it has lost its ability to control the public through the instruments of violence. Unlike in past protests, countless Iranians have demonstrated that they will no longer participate in the political game of ‘reformist vs. conservative’ (better known as ‘moderates vs. conservatives’ in the West),” writes by Politico magazine.
   The West needs to stop appeasing the current Iranian regime. It’s time to stop betting on a dead horse.

RELATED STORIES

Iranian Man Sets Himself on Fire in Protest

8 Ways Women Are Fighting Iran’s Ayatollahs

What Do Arab States Think About the Iran Protests?