Another Foiled
Terror Plot Underscores The Need For Maximum Pressure On Iran
There are several key ways that Western powers could and
should support the people of Iran, while exerting well-deserved pressure on the
ruling regime.
By Giulio Terzi
November 12, 2018
A recent Iranian plot to assassinate an Iranian opponent
living in Copenhagen came to light when it was disrupted by authorities in
Denmark. At least one would-be terrorist was arrested, and the Iranian
ambassador was summoned to answer for the incident.
The Danish plot was evidently traceable to Iran’s
leadership, as was the terrorist plot foiled by French, Belgian, and
German intelligence a month prior. A comprehensive French investigation left no
doubt about the Iranian regime’s responsibility for the plan to bomb a rally of
Iranian expatriates outside Paris. Two operatives, along with the leading
Iranian diplomat in Europe for whom they were working, were caught red-handed.
These latest terror plots demonstrate a pattern of Iranian
behavior that goes well beyond the two incidents. Prior to the Paris plot, two
operatives were arrested in Albania, where they had been planning an attack on
the residence of more than 2,500 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization
of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the primary rivals to Iran’s theocratic rulers.
Thankfully, all three recent plots were thwarted, but
Western policymakers and foreign governments should not assume that all
Iran-backed terrorism will prove unsuccessful. Iranian proxies like Hezbollah
have killed hundreds of Western nationals over the years, and other acts of
Iranian terror did in fact claim the lives of their targets.
Even when the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 was
being negotiated, as well as when that deal was in full force, the regime’s
behavior did not change for the better. While the world squarely focused
on the nuclear issue, and Tehran basked in the international legitimacy handed
to it, the clerical regime stepped up some of the worst of its behaviors. Many
Human rights experts note that the environment of domestic repression only grew
worse in the wake of those negotiations.
The nuclear agreement failed to deliver on its promise of
facilitating regional peace and stability, or of encouraging the Iranian regime
to moderate.
In the wake of at least three major Iranian terror
plots in 2018, Western leaders must recognize the futility of attempting to
bribe Iran’s leaders into compliance with international standards. A policy of
“maximum pressure” is much more likely to compel reasonable behavior.
This is especially true now, given the explosive domestic
situation in Iran. As much as it is acting in line with its traditionally
hard-line, anti-Western identity, the regime is also reacting to ongoing
protests when it reaches far beyond its borders to kill or injure pro-democracy
activists. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council
of Resistance of Iran, predicted in March that the recurrent uprisings could
lead to the people’s victory over a deeply unpopular regime. The regime’s
reckless efforts to lash out suggest that it recognizes that same scenario.
It will do no harm for Western powers to adopt that same
view and begin exerting serious pressure on the regime in support of the
uprisings. The more pressure Tehran faces from abroad, the more it will be
compelled to focus on the fight within its borders. The imperative for the EU
and the United States to confront the Iranian threat jointly is more pressing
than ever. Circumventing U.S. sanctions, as the EU has proposed through “PVC,”
is completely out of touch with reality.
There are several key ways that Western powers could and
should support the people of Iran, while exerting well-deserved pressure on the
ruling regime. First, all Iranian embassies in Europe known to have provided
diplomatic cover for terrorism on the continent should be shut down, and all
Iranian diplomats engaged in illegal activities expelled. Second, all Iranian
agents in Europe and the United States should be prosecuted. Third, all
companies and organizations involved in planning, training, facilitating, and
funding terrorism should be sanctioned.
Western support for democratic change can be expressed over
both traditional and digital media platforms. America is taking action in this
regard: In the past two years, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the
U.S. government agency responsible for international media, is improving and
expanding its outreach to Iran’s people. The BBG’s Office of Internet Freedom
is also helping millions of Iranians break through tough digital barriers
erected by the regime in Iran. The EU should follow the BBG’s lead and take
similar actions.
These are concrete steps to rectify the conciliatory
Western policies that turned a blind eye to Human rights abuses in a bid to
encourage moderation. We know that approach produced little more than worsening
abuses and an increased threat of Iran’s terrorism extending to the West.
Hopefully, they are also concrete steps toward a goal we can all unite behind:
an end to Iran’s terrorism, warmongering and domestic repression.
Giulio Terzi was the Foreign Minister of Italy from 2011
until 2013. He is also a former Italian Ambassador to the United States and
former Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations.
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