Take serious action against Iran as regime is fearing change
Few Iranians were surprised to see judiciary officials and authorities take action to shut down a first KFC restaurant outlet recently opened in northern Tehran. Many Iranians have realized that the current mood in the country will not tolerate any such Western-model restaurants opening in Iran, while after the nuclear pact back in July the international community hoped Iran would relax on such issues.
The Western world needs to realize that no such change is in the making and in fact now is the best time to exert the utmost pressure on Iran to give in to similar setbacks it suffered in the Vienna nuclear talks; this time on Syria and human rights.
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However, in recent weeks Top Iran Ayatollahs began a massive campaign of rearguard action as they accuse Washington of plotting against Iran by its agents who “infiltrated” different power institutions.
An increase in anti-American rhetoric in all scenes of public life is very vivid in Iran these days. Even the famous U.S. Iwo Jima image was insulted and manipulated to resemble American troops placing the Stars and Stripes on a pile of dead bodies.
As usual, Mullahs in Iran provided no evidence for their claims and they simply reiterate the words of their leader Ali Khamenei. He began aiming at the U.S. very soon following the nuclear pact signed in Vienna between the P5+1 and Iran.
Controlling many institutions of power, including the judiciary, the security forces, the notorious Revolutionary Guards, all intelligence agencies and the state-run media, hardliners have resorted to Khamenei’s own words to pave the path for a new round of crackdown across the country. Nearly all those arrested in this new wave of apprehensions have detained recently under unspecified and at times very vague charges.
So much for those seeking change in Iran following the nuclear deal, especially those eyeing lucrative trade deals. The trade and investment atmosphere in Iran has not shifted at all after the nuclear deal. This should also make everyone in the West realize that Iran is simply using these talks to buy time and the regime’s president Hassan Rouhani is no different from the other Mullahs as he is merely seeking to deceive the international community.
Iran are now also feeling the heat over the talks on Syria. Khamenei, first banning all regime officials from conducting any negotiations with the U.S. on any other issues, quietly delivered his blessing for Iran to join the Syria talks organized by the top US diplomat John Kerry.
Now Tehran is truly left confused, and left wondering whether to criticize the Syria talks or not. If the West finally comes to understand, now is the best time to push hard and demand the utmost from the ayatollahs ruling Iran. And they will pay it whatever the price may be, as seen back in July in Vienna.
The West needs to tighten its belts and take a very strong stance against Tehran’s ambitions in the Middle East, with Syria and Iraq to begin with, and swiftly move ahead to target Iran’s human rights violations being the ayatollahs’ true Achilles Heel. In short, Europe and the U.S. should end their appeasement policies and flare up the heat on Iran.