Freedom Movement Warning: US Actions Strengthen Domestic Hardliners

The Freedom Movement of Iran warned in a letter to various political parties that the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the imposition of sanctions "strengthens the position of authoritarian movements and domestic hardliners, as well as foreign warmongers" and "disrupts the democracy-seeking process in Iran." This letter was written on February 10 and published on several websites close to the group on Saturday, February 23. In its letter, the political group emphasized that the US exit from the JCPOA and its sanctions "have weakened the middle class and the underprivileged in society and have disrupted the democracy-seeking process in Iran." Officials in Donald Trump's administration have stated that the aim of the new sanctions is to pressure the Islamic Republic to change its behavior. The Freedom Movement stated that US actions, along with Israel and Saudi Arabia, "are not aimed at helping the people of Iran and will strengthen the position of authoritarian movements and domestic hardliners, as well as foreign warmongers." Previously, some officials from Hassan Rouhani's government and reformist figures had raised similar warnings. For instance, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, stated: "A very powerful minority in our country opposed the JCPOA. But if the people become angrier, this group may soon become the majority." The Freedom Movement described the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and sanctions against Iran as "unethical, inhumane, and contrary to the international commitments of the US government." The group urged political parties worldwide not to remain indifferent to this US action and to "take a firm stance against the unilateral actions of the US government in sanctioning the people of Iran." The US government seeks a more comprehensive agreement than the JCPOA with Iran, covering various issues from the nuclear program to missile programs and Tehran's activities in the region, and has proposed 12 conditions for reaching a new agreement with Iran. Some officials of the Islamic Republic have also spoken about the obstruction by institutions under the Supreme Leader, particularly the Revolutionary Guards, in implementing the JCPOA. For instance, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, accused the Revolutionary Guards during presidential debates of attempting to undermine the JCPOA by launching missiles. Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has also repeatedly accused the Revolutionary Guards of preventing the continuation of the JCPOA by launching missiles. The Freedom Movement stated in its declaration that "the JCPOA was never intended to address non-nuclear issues and resolving issues such as Iran's regional behavior was outside its agenda." The group emphasized that "such issues can be discussed in separate negotiations and agreements, while respecting and preserving the principles of national security." In January, the Freedom Movement also issued a statement detailing the impact of sanctions on the 98 budget, calling for "constructive understanding and interaction" between the Islamic Republic and the "developed world" and refraining from "controversial positions and political and military adventurism in the region." This statement was issued while the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic had previously stated multiple times that he would not agree to the US request for negotiations on regional issues. Iranian officials have also stated that the Islamic Republic's missile program "is not negotiable." However, on the other hand, officials in Donald Trump's administration insist that the Iranian government must change its behavior. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, recently stated in an interview with Radio Farda that Washington wants "Iran's behavior to be like that of a normal country." Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran, has described "ending the US and its partners' threat policy in the Middle East" and "addressing the interests and demands of the Iranian people" as examples of this "normal behavior." The Freedom Movement of Iran emphasized in this letter: "Real freedom is neither achieved through US government support for overthrowers nor is it a commodity that can be brought with the backpacks of American soldiers. Achieving freedom is a reformist and gradual process that depends on cooperation and interaction between nations and governments in line with the lofty ideals of humanity." The US government, while launching a campaign for "maximum pressure" on the Islamic Republic, has denied any intention to change the regime and stated that its goal is to change the government's behavior. Recently, none of the US officials have mentioned an attack on Iran. John Bolton, the US National Security Advisor, had previously called for an attack on Iran in a 2015 New York Times article titled "To Stop Iran's Bomb, Bomb Iran." Later, he stated in an interview with Fox News that those remarks were from the past and he was preparing for his new role as National Security Advisor. Meanwhile, Prince Reza Pahlavi warned in a statement that the Islamic Republic might, due to "desperation" and to divert attention from its "incompetence and corruption," "engage in further provocations to invite a limited attack" on Iran.