Washington D.C. — Foreign Policy for America (FP4A) stands with the brave protestors in Iran who have taken to the streets to voice their discontent with the despotic Islamic regime, which has squandered the country’s resources and plunged Iran into an economic crisis.
Protesters engaging in public demonstrations have heroically put their lives on the line to call for political change, economic relief, and social freedom. We condemn the regime’s ruthless crackdown that has resulted in the deaths and arrests of thousands of Iranians. The international community should support the right of the Iranian people to determine their own future and demand the immediate end of violence against peaceful protests.
“The weakness of any regime can be measured by the degree to which it resorts to brutality to survive” says Elisa Massimino, Executive Director of The Human Rights Institute at Georgetown Law and FP4A Board Member. “Iranians have shown again and again that they will risk everything for the opportunity to live in dignity and peace, and to chart their own future. We all have a stake in their struggle.”
The United States and its partners have a historic opportunity to work together in solidarity with those demonstrating, taking into account the views of respected human rights leaders, activists, and civil society inside the country to determine how best to support the Iranian people. Taking steps like restoring internet access can shine light on the regime’s ongoing atrocities, but forcefully imposing regime change may cause deeper turmoil in the country. A U.S. military operation against the regime would need to be authorized by Congress, and lawmakers should be cautious of U.S. intervention in the region and the risk that the United States could once again get stuck in a forever war in the Middle East.
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