Since Wednesday, Iran’s ruling theocracy has gone ballistic due to Italian lawmakers’ holding a special hearing session with Mrs. Maryam Rajvi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
This session, combined with the series of high-profile meetings between the Iranian opposition leader and distinguished Italian lawmakers, has infuriated Tehran. Furthermore, the recent endorsement from over 3,600 parliamentarians representing 29 countries, including Italy, of Mrs. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan for the future of Iran has further angered the mullahs.
While Tehran harbored expectations of the revival of appeasement policy, the recent turn of events has effectively shattered its aspirations. Consequently, Iran’s regime resorted to summoning the Italian ambassador, threatening Italy and other European democracies while regurgitating debunked allegations against the NCRI and its principal member organization, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
On Thursday, the official IRNA News Agency quoted Ebrahim Azizi, the vice-chairman of Parliament’s Security Commission, expressing his utter fear regarding Mrs. Rajavi’s presence in Italy.
“He warned European countries, including Italy, that supporting such a group would result in a strong response from Iran. Azizi emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently fought against terrorist groups and urged political systems not to align themselves with terrorist movements,” IRNA wrote.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly summoned the Italian ambassador in Tehran to register a formal protest. The Islamic Republic will not tolerate repeating such actions by European countries,” IRNA wrote.
In another article, IRNA News Agency blatantly claimed that Mrs. Rajavi’s trip to Italy “as a breach of diplomatic etiquette,” adding that the regime’s “reaction included summoning the Italian ambassador in Tehran. The Italian Parliament invited Rajavi as a special guest, which was seen as a provocative action by some members of the Senate.”
Our Resistance has been under the pressure of torture, massacre, & demonization to abandon its beliefs and positions & accept that freedom will never come. But we have pledged to make freedom flourish throughout #Iran with our life and soul!#FreeIran2022 #WeCanAndMust pic.twitter.com/bIZy3LmTyO
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) June 26, 2022
On Wednesday, the state-run Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards (IRCG), reported that the Italian ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, the Director General of Western Europe, reminded the Italian ambassador of the country’s international commitments in the fight against terrorism. Nili Ahmadabadi stated that hosting representatives of a terrorist organization amounts to promoting and encouraging terrorism, which Iran strongly condemns,” the outlet wrote.
In response, the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, declared his country is a democracy. Thus, the session at Italy’s parliament is not against any law.
Italian MP Emanuele Pozzolo, who was among the speakers and hosts of the Wednesday special hearing session with Mrs. Rajavi, reminded the ruling theocracy that a regime that kills its own citizens and exports terrorism abroad has no right to teach “democracy” to Italian lawmakers.
Tehran’s blatant statements come at the time that Tehran’s top diplomat-terrorist, Assadollah Assadi, was caught red-handed in 2018, attempting to bomb the NCRI’s “Free Iran World Summit” in Paris, and spent five years in a Belgian prison before being swapped with an incarcerated Belgian aid worker in Iran.
“It appears that the Italian government has been making miscalculations in dealing with the Iranian system since last year. Notably, a few months ago, the visit of Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to Italy was canceled due to concerns about the MEK’s role,” IRNA added.
It is worth noting that hours after Wednesday’s meeting, the regime’s embassy in Italy released a statement reflecting Tehran’s profound desperation. The world’s foremost perpetrator of executions per capita and primary sponsor of terrorism brazenly accused the MEK of engaging in acts of terrorism.
Confronted by an increasingly restless society and shaken by the prominent role of the MEK’s Resistance Units, Iran’s crisis-laden regime has found itself cornered in the past weeks due to an international mobilization by the Iranian Resistance, especially the “Free Iran World Summit” conferences.
Tehran harbored lofty expectations of quashing the massive rally of the Iranian opposition and the Free Iran World Summit in France through appeasement policies. However, justice prevailed, and the rally was held after a court overrode the police’s decision to ban the demonstration.
As eloquently emphasized by the speakers at the Free Iran World Summit, the NCRI undeniably represents a viable alternative to the ruling theocracy, having persevered in the struggle for freedom and democracy for over four decades. Tehran’s explosive reaction to Mrs. Rajavi’s visit affirmed this reality.
