Removing the extremist mullahs from power is one of the biggest challenges to be faced by the US government over the coming year, Hilary Clinton’s former deputy Phillip Crowley said.
And the direction taken by Iran will have more influence on the future of the Middle East in the next decade than any other factor, Mr Crowley told an international conference held in Paris on Saturday. (Feb 2)
He said: “The most significant challenge in 2013 is what to do about Iran. Nothing is going to influence the Middle East in the coming decade more than the direction taken by Iran.”
President Obama has said all options were still open, including military action against Iran – but this may only delay not halt the regime’s nuclear program and may not solve the problem, he said.
He added: “Only one option solves the problem: different leadership in Tehran.
“A leadership committed to free and fair elections, committed to giving its citizens full access to information, committed to the ending of discrimination against women, respect and dignity for all, committed to an independent judiciary, respect for human rights, a market economy, peaceful coexistence and nuclear free.
“A leadership that wishes to bring Iran out of its isolation, to make Iran a constructive actor on the world stage. An Iran that is part of the solution to many of the regional and global challenges we face rather than the essence of the problem.”
And the way to achieve this goal was through the kind of ‘effective and organized opposition’ like the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).