“Iran’s Mujahideen, an organization Human Rights Watch has accused of intimidating, torturing and sometimes murdering members of the Iranian diaspora, has been using aggressive and shady practices to meet MEPs, including by hiding their real affiliation,” said the report.

It added, “MEPs have been included by this organization as co-signatories of letters they had not co-signed or named as co-hosts of conferences they never endorsed.”

The report further said, “they were registered using over 45 different pseudonyms, such as ‘MEK’, ‘NCRI’, ‘ISJ’, ‘APA’, in order to mislead MEPs and the Transparency Register.”

The MEK group adheres to extremely opaque guidelines in their internal interactions, something that led many observers to liken the group to a cult.

The group has run into troubles with the Albanian government due to the non-transparent actions of its members which included hacks and other illegal activities.

The Albanian government has recently blocked the access of the MKO members to the Internet in their camp near Tirana.

The Albanian government has turned off Internet access at the Ashraf-3 camp outside Manze, a small hill hamlet 30 kilometers west of Tirana.

It is the latest restrictive measure by the Albanian government in the face of MKO cyberattacks.

According to an informed security source, the notorious cultish members have been compelled to use mobile Internet or illicit techniques for cyber operations since Albania is firm to keep a lid on the terrorist activities of the group also called MEK.

As a result of the MKO’s involvement in “terror and cyber-attacks” against international institutions, the Albanian police forces conducted a raid on the camp in June.

They seized 150 computer devices used for sabotage attacks.

During the clashes at the camp, at least one MKO terrorist was killed and several more were injured.

On August 12, Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, said Tehran had filed a huge case against more than 100 members of the cultish organization, which has killed tens of thousands of Iranians.

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“the history of the Iranian People’s Mujahedeen is bloody, turbulent and tragic, their method is controversial and their ideology is full of contradictions”. [1]

He finds the American support for the group as a contradiction too because it is the most hated opposition group among Iranian public.

“No Iranian opposition group polarizes like them, no one has so many critics, but no such prominent supporters,” he states. The contradiction leads him to wonder what role the MKO plays in Washington’s Iran policy is, and if it really is the right ally for the US government. [2]

To find out the answer, the author interviews or cites from several Western politicians, scholars and journalists including German Green MP Omid Nouripour.

“The People’s Mujahedeen have suffered an incredible amount of suffering, but also caused a lot of damage,” Nouripour says. He strongly advised against supporting the group because there are “huge questions about its ideology, its structure and its legitimacy” and because of its past it has little support in Iran. [3]

Thus, the author of NZZ concludes,

“For many, their commitment to democracy and human rights seems untrustworthy after alliance with Saddam Hussein. And even the pronounced leadership cult around the Rajavis makes many doubt on their democratic views.” [4]

Ulrich von Schwerin closes his article citing Daniel Benjamin of the New York Times who sees MKO’s multi-million dollar campaign to buy US politicians’ support as the main motivation for advocating the formerly terrorist designated group that has the blood of six US citizens in hand.

“It’s something when someone offers you $ 15,000 to $ 20,000 on the phone to join a panel discussion,” Benjamin says. “This does not happen to former diplomats every day.” [5]

Besides NZZ, there has been a post on the controversial presence of the MKO in Italian news website “Gli Occhi Della Guerra” based in Rome in the early January. The writer, Giovanni Giacalone focuses on the expulsion of the two Iranian diplomats by the Albanian government based on a false flag operation plotted by the Israeli Intelligence Mossad and the MKO.

“Apparently, the clash between the Shiite axis and the Salafite/Wahhabi galaxy, as well as between Israel and Iran, is now also taking place on Albanian soil and the MEK may play a major role in this scenario,” Giacalone suggests. “However, the Mojahedin base on the Adriatic threatens to increase destabilization in the Balkans, an area already characterized by strong ethnic-religious and political tensions, all to the detriment of Europe. Albania for its part is reconfirmed as among the most loyal allies of the United States and Israel.” [6]

The threat of the MKO is persistently confirmed by the Albanian-Canadian historian Dr. Olsi Jazexhi who was interviewed by the Balkan Post, last week. Albania is deriving no benefit but only headaches, scandals and bad name for what it is doing with MEK,” Dr Jazexhi tells Navid Nasr of the Balkan Post.

“The media in the Balkans and the region, from Serbia, to Greece, Macedonia and Italy, have reported with great concern the coming of MEK to Albania. Europeans are also upset with what Albania is doing.” [7]

He believes that the only people who are benefiting from hosting the MEK are organized criminals and some Albanian politicians who run gangs of drug dealers.

“Many Albanian politicians, like Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Diaspora Pandeli Majko etc are building personal relationships with American politicians like John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Patrick Kennedy etc, who are opening their doors to Washington. In their yearly “Free Iran” meetings that MEK organizes in Paris, Maryam Rajavi is enabling many corrupt Albanian politicians to meet major European and American neocon politicians,”

he says.
He points out the destructive role of the MKO in the international relations particularly in the Europe considering the MKO as destructive as other Jihadist extremists like ISIS.

“The European Union, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which are not happy with what Albania is doing, must be asked to raise their voice against the MEK’s activities,”

he suggests.

“These three organizations must extend their deradicalization programs over to the MEK and must not use their programs only against Albanian Muslims who want to do Jihad in Syria.”
“EU bodies must ask Albania and the Americans to come out with an action plan to deradicalize MEK in the same way that they are jailing and deradicalizing ISIS sympathizers. France must do the same,” he continues. “They must not allow Maryam Rajavi to use French soil as a base for violent Jihadi propaganda against Iran or any other country. The Europeans must ask MEK to open its camp, deradicalize its members, stop its Jihadi propaganda and its members must be allowed to marry, find jobs and start free civilian lives.”

By Mazda Parsi

References:
[1]Ulrich von Schwerin, Die Volksmujahedin sind fragwürdige Verbündete Washingtons in Iran, nzz.ch,January14,2019
[2]ibid
[3]ibid
[4]ibid
[5]ibid
[6]Giacalone,Giovanni,Gli iraniani erano davvero pronti
a fare un attentato in Europa? ,Gli Occhi Della Guerra, January6, 2019
[7]ibid

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The conference was held to discuss the legal and humanitarian situation of the refugees in Europe. It was headed by MEP Antonio Panzeri member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.

Former members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (the MKO/ MEK/ PMOI/ the Cult of Rajavi), from Ava and Women Associations who attended the meeting included Batoul Soltani, Amir Movasaqhi, Reza Jebelli and Ali Akbar Rastgou.

Challenging the leadership of the MKO, Reza Jebeli addressed the audience:

“We were all members of the organization [that was] based in Iraq. We were there for many years. We were disconnected from the outside world. We had no relation with our families. Many of our loved ones died during the years. We had no way to contact them. We were with this organization called Mujahedin, Iranian Mujahedin.”

Mr jebeli went on to demand the president of the event to watch out Maryam Rajavi’s visits to the Parliament. “The next time Maryam Rajavi -which comes here to the parliament hall all the time and talk about human rights—ask them about this two thousand people that right now is in Abania [in a] refugee camp and they are segregated and they have no right to visit their family,” he stated. “So this is a question I will ask you please if you could investigated the situation in Albania.”

He also warned the European parliament and the UN on the relocation two thousand members of the MKO as an organization that was previously listed as a terrorist group in a European country.

Mr. Jebeli expressed his concerns about those who are still in the MKO military-like camp in Tirana because they have no way out. He described their situation as “dangerous”. “The enemy of your enemy is our nightmare”, he asserted.

Nejat Society

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Ebrahim Khodabandeh and Zahra Mirbagheri visited Ana Gomez, member of the European Parliament during her trip to Tehran.

Ms. Gomez traveled to Iran together with a delegation of the EU parliament, last month. Nejat Society representatives Khodabandeh and Mirbagheri could manage to meet her on Thursday, February 15th reciting the problems and sufferings that the families of Rajavi’s hostages undergo.

They explained the latest conditions of the group members and defectors and the worries of families about their loved ones in Albania. They answered Ms. Gomez’s questions about the case of MKO victims as she was very eager to know about their case.

Upset with the Albanian government’s attitude towards defectors of the MKO and its cooperation with the leaders of the group in order for more isolation of the members, she said that the Albanian government seeks to join the European Union but it should know that such acts will not fulfill its desire to be an EU member.

This is the right of families to visit their loves ones and the excuse that members are not willing to visit their families is not acceptable in any case, she stated.

Ms. Gomes asked Khodabandeh and Mirbagheri to have a trip to Brussels in order to clarify the case of MKO victims for the EU MPs and to explain the objectives of Nejat Society. Besides, she promised to have a future trip to Iran, exclusively to visit the families of MKO hostages.

She noted that she knows some of the MKO survivors in Brussels and she has officially condemned the violent acts of the MKO agents against them in the EU parliament. In her opinion, the MKO’s terrorism is opening its way to Europe and this is disturbing. “Today we should stop this cult, tomorrow is late”, she said.

Appreciating the deep understanding of Ms. Ana Gomez about the threats of the Cult of Rajavi, Nejat representatives showed gratitude for her support for the cult survivors in Brussels.

also:

Ana Gomes: Mojahedin Khalq will bring the problems of Iraq to Albania

Albanian based MEK terrorists threat to security of EUP says Ana Gomes MEP

MKO former member meets EUP representative in Brussels

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At the AFET Committee – Debriefing on mission to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran

Ana Gomes, S&D Member of the European Parliament, participated at a joint AFET/DRO (Committee of Foreign Affairs and Sub-Committee of Human Rights) to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from 11-15 February 2018. At the last AFET Committee meeting, Ana Gomes debriefed the members on the outcomes of the mission.

To download the video file click here

From 5:17 minutes…

“I just want to end with one matter, our responsibility in the parliament. I met with relatives of the victims of the terrorist organisation called MEK, Mojahedin of the people, National Council of whatever, revolutionary Iran. And they used to be a tool of Saddam Hussein. They are now in Albania. They are creating trouble in Albania, trouble that will come to haunt us. And we cannot continue to allow some members in this parliament out of, possibly out of naivety, to continue to abet some of the members of this organisation. Which are keeping people hostage, namely in Albania. Now I met with relatives in Iran of those people that cannot establish contact with their children, with their relatives because of this sect (cult) preventing that. We in the parliament cannot continue to turn a blind eye on our responsibility.

also:

Albanian based MEK terrorists threat to security of EUP says Ana Gomes MEP

MKO former member meets EUP representative in Brussels

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Open letter to Exellencies , Mr. Richard CHARNESKI the vice chairman of European Union and Mr. Khozo RODASH the member of foreign committee of parliament

I, Zahra MOEINI, am the German citizen who had been a member of Rajavi cult or better to say a captive of this cult in Iraq for many years.

The reason that i say i had been a captive in that notorious cult in Iraq because we as members of this cult did not have any right whatsoever to communicate with the outside world and our families and all the married members in that cult had to get divorced from their spouses by the direct order of the leaders of this cult, Massoud and Maryam RAJAVI. These divorces were not just for married members of this cult but the single members had to divorce their imaginary spouses in their minds as well

After those compulsory divorces , the married members of this cult who had child or children had to send them away to foreign countries or to Iran and some of those children who were separated from their parents forcibly were sent away to European countries and United States to the associations which were founded by this notorious cult in those countries and those associations under the pretext of supporting those children began collecting money from the government and people but all those money were transferred to rajavi accounts for purchasing weapons and military equipment . In 1992 , when i was a member of Maryam RAJAVI security guard left Iraq to France with Maryam RAJAVI and 450 members of this cult . The operatives of this notorious cult in France told me to go to Germany. In Germany the operatives of this cult forced me to go on streets to ask people for money and because i was wounded in Iraq the operatives of this cult wanted to take advantage of my wounded body to collect money for Rajavi account and they were saying that European people are dumb and my wounds attract them to pay more money

The operatives of this cult were informing us all the time that we should not talk about those secrets to anyone .While i was in Germany , i saw some of those children who were separated from their parents in Iraq forcibly , were stranded in subways and i heard that in United States , California , some of rajavi cult supporters raped some of those children and they got arrested but while they came out for the leave they could escape from that state by the cooperation of rajavi cult . while i was in Germany , i found out about their hypocrisy , fraud , and deception , i found out they did not care about the life and the well being of those stranded and stuck members in Iraq , I found out that this cult is the worst enemy of the families, so i escaped from this cult while i was in Germany, and i informed the German government about all my experiences and information that i had seen and witnessed about this cult during my membership in this cult , as a result of that i have been sentenced to death since then by the direct order of Massoud and Maryam RAJAVI . EXCELLENCIES In 11 of Jan 2018, you were invited by National Council of Resistance (PMOI, MKO) and you had a meeting with Mrs. Maryam RAJAVI in Ouver Sur Oise and she informed you about the recent political unrest and events in Iran

It is true that there were many unrest and demonstrations in Iran and some people had been killed in those unrest and around 3700 people are in jail right now. The iranian people began their demonstrations and their dissent of the government for poverty and financial problems , if you saw the demonstrations of iranian people on the streets of Iran , you could have found out that no one mentioned the name of this cult or the names of its leadership in their slogans . If Iranian people are suffering it is all because of rajavi cult wrong doings and terrorist policies during these thirty years which helped stabilizing the iranian government for many years and by interfering, patronising and encouraging the people for demolishing and destruction and shouting violent slogans to spread violence, resulted in suppression , failure and defeat of those who came on streets in Iran for their rights . Mrs. RAJAVI has not adhered to Democracy , Human rights and freedom whatsoever

She has captivated around 2000 people in Albania and she has taken away their right to live freely and independently . Those stranded people in Albania have been deprived of their fundamental rights and they are not allowed to have access to the internet and personal cell phone

How can she bring democracy and freedom for Iranian people in Iran while she has taken away the fundamental rights of her own members and followers for decades ? Mrs. RAJAVI always takes advantage of the dignity of you excellencies and other honorable members of parliament for her own inhumane objectives and suppression of her own members . I would like to mention one of Mrs . RAJAVI’s hypocrisy in this letter; There was a PMOI gathering in Villepinte in Paris In 2016 and in this gathering Prince Turki Al FAISAL one of the princes of Saudi Arabia , mentioned twice the name of Massoud RAJAVI the husband of Mrs. Maryam RAJAVI and the main leader of this cult as deceased person and it created un ambiguity among all those people participated in that gathering and the cult members that if Massoud RAJAVI is dead why his wife MRS. Maryam RAJAVI herself who is the top leader of this cult , does not declare his death ? many iranians who are living outside of Iran asked this question from the leadership of this cult but there has not been any answer up to now!!!! Since then the leadership of this cult has kept silent about the death of Massoud RAJAVI and as a result of that nobody knows exactly that he is alive or dead !! but in recent weeks that there was many unrest and demonstrations in cities of Iran for poverty and financial problems and ……etc, suddenly

Mr. Massoud RAJAVI sent 5 written statements that he encouraged people to destroy and demolish and violent actions in those statements . I requested many times that Mrs . Maryam RAJAVI and i have an debate on television but up to now she has not responded yet because she is afraid of us ( the separated members ) she knows perfectly that if she accepts to have a debate with us she will not be able to answer the questions which we are going to ask and she can not lie to us because we know everything and we were living in that cult for many years

you excellencies if you are not able to help iranian people in their uprising , at least stop supporting the enemies of iranian people and you excellencies should know that standing beside the leadership of this cult and the enemy of the iranian people is like stabbing the iranian people from the back . you excellencies owe iranian people an apology.

Zahra Moeini, Iran Zanan,Germany

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The MEK has a long history of infiltrating Western parliaments and, on a daily basis, stalking, harassing and intimidating the members of parliament, their researchers and other staff. This latest incident of violence has clearly crossed a line of democratic tolerance among MEPs who applauded the speech by Ms Gomes.

Parliamentary debate following the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini – Iran nuclear deal.

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Referring to the MKO Cult’s inhumane practices against the members in Albania, The MKO former member explained how members are kept under intense psychological pressure.

He also stated that the cult leaders put pressure on separated members threatening them that their refugee allowances would be cut.

Mr. Jebelli defined the Mujahedin-e Khalq cult efforts to disseminate false news and documents against the former members.

The MKO ex-member also informed the MEP of the separation of many dissatisfied members especially several veteran members, some with more than 30 years of membership within the group. Though Maryam Rajavi has travelled to Albania to save the MEK, the rate of disaffection is accelerating day by day.

Aawa association representative reiterated the MEK efforts to relocate the members to a closed camp in a rural area near Tirana in order to keep members within the cult providing a suitable environment to practice manipulation practices more freely.

Mr. Jebelli thanked Ms. Gomes for her invitation and conveyed the MKO hostages’ families appeal to facilitate their visit with their loved ones in MKO Camps. He also asked European Parliament representatives to help the MKO hostages in Albania in any possible way.

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The meeting, which was attended by MEPs, researchers and analysts along with representatives of agencies outside the parliament such as security personnel, was organised by Ana Gomes, SND (Portugal) and seconded by Marietje Schaake, ALDE (Netherlands) and Michael Gahler, Christian Democrats (Germany).

All three have a clear record as outspoken critics of Iran’s human rights record and are concerned about the impact of MEK activity on this issue.

Two expert speakers were invited to address the meeting: Nicola Pedde, Director Institute for Global Studies, Italy and Massoud Khodabandeh, Director Middle East Strategy Consultants, UK.

Since all the participants have seen first-hand that the MEK spends enormous amounts of money for publicity and lobbying, the first issue to be discussed was ‘who funds the MEK and what is their agenda?’ It soon became apparent that the MEPs are fully aware that the MEK has never existed as an independent group and has benefitted over three decades from funding streams from specific circles which are trying to engineer regime change in the Middle East. The question then became whether these sponsors understand that the cost benefit of supporting the MEK is not giving positive returns but in fact has a negative result for them in their regime change agendas.

Further discussion by representatives revealed that the MEK has been shunned by almost every Parliament across Europe.

In spite of this, MEK members can still gain access to the European Parliament because it is an open institution. The problem this presents is the bullying tactics used by the MEK to intimidate MEPs and their staff. Several delegates at the meeting gave first-hand evidence of this. One MEP said that within ten minutes of taking one particular stance he was bombarded by mass emails some of which contained swearing and threats. Delegates agreed that this is incompatible with the fundamental principles of any Parliament in which representatives must be able to speak and act free from any pressure or intimidation.

Nicola Pedde described to delegates his work in the Italian Parliament where MPs are persuaded to sign petitions by bogus human rights campaigners. Pedde said that when he asked, many of the signatories were unaware that the MEK was behind the petition and didn’t realise that various sentences or paragraphs were added afterwards to give support for Maryam Rajavi and her agenda. Pedde said some MPs were even strongly against the MEK and were very angry about being deceived in this way. They had thought they were condemning human rights abuses in Iran, but their names were then misused to depict them as supporters of terrorists in Albania.

The discussion moved on to the problem of accepting the MEK as advocates of human rights for Iran. Ana Gomes said that when Iranian Nobel Human Rights Prize winner Shirin Ebadi visited the European Parliament, she was unequivocal in saying that the MEK do not have the right to be described as human rights activists. Quite the opposite, they are abusers themselves, she said. Massoud Khodabandeh reminded delegates that in a recent interview with AP, Reza Pahlavi – who wants to restore the monarchy to Iran – dismissed the MEK as a cult. In addition, every Iranian opposition group from the Greens to the Nationalists has rejected the MEK as human rights advocates and as a political entity.

More concerning for delegates is that the government of Iran is quick to use the MEK’s advocacy for human rights as a means to dismiss the issue, pointing out that the terrorist group murdered thousands of Iranian citizens and still commits human rights abuse against its own members. Massoud Khodabandeh gave an example from the UK House of Lords in which Haleh Afshar – a prominent Iranian feminist and academic who now sits in the House as Baroness Afshar – hosted a parliamentary debate about human rights in Iran. The challenging discussion, with valuable contributions from several informed members, was completely undermined by one of the MEK’s supporters who asserted that only Maryam Rajavi and her group could bring freedom and human rights to Iran. The government of Iran cannot be expected to even respond to such a debate said Khodabandeh.

Nicola Pedde made an interesting comment when he said that the MEK cannot be considered as a viable force because, as a result of its cultish behaviour, the MEK do not have a second generation. They have effectively killed themselves, he told delegates, because marriage and family are banned for all members.

The third issue to be discussed was the MEK presence in Albania. Delegates heard how the MEK had been forced to leave Iraq and how the Americans arranged for the UN to be able to transfer them to Albania. The government of Iraq was relieved to be rid of three thousand MEK who had been part of Saddam Hussein’s repressive forces, but the problem has now simply been moved to Albania. The Americans promised help to de-radicalise the MEK members. But, as Massoud Khodabandeh pointed out, this did not happen and the group was allowed to re-group as a terrorist cult and treat its members as modern slaves.

Delegates discussed Albania’s candidature to join the European Union in light of this situation and agreed that this is not just incompatible but that having trained terrorists on the doorstep of Europe is already a security threat to Europe. Delegates stressed that European security services need to take this threat seriously from now.

Reports also described the human rights abuses inflicted on MEK members by their own leaders. They are living in conditions of modern slavery because the UNHCR is acting illegally by paying refugee allowances to the organisation instead of to the individual members. This means members are forced into dependency on the group and cannot leave. Members are also prevented from contacting their families or even other former members so they do not have any recourse to external help or support.

As the two speakers gave their expert analysis throughout the meeting, they also offered suggestions for solutions. Khodabandeh urged delegates to put pressure on the Albanian authorities and the UNHCR to resolve the hostage condition of MEK members in Albania.

Pedde said MEPs should be briefed about the danger of supporting human rights through using groups like the MEK.

At the end the meeting was also opened to the audience for discussion. Former MEK members, Ali Akbar Rastgou, Batoul Soltani, Reza Sadeghi and Ghorban Ali Hossein Nejad were able to join the discussion at this time.

In conclusion delegates discussed various solutions which are open to them. It was important, they said, to find ways to tackle these problems because parliament cannot be held hostage to bullies. A package of activities was agreed in order to curtail the MEK’s deceptive and intimidating activities in Parliament. Other solutions to the wider problems were also agreed and will be put in place throughout the rest of the year.

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The report praises the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a success of a multilateral diplomacy, which has already boosted economic and trade connections between Europe and Iran. The report calls on both the EU and Iran to build on this opening by expanding cooperation in counter-terrorism, environmental protection, academic and cultural exchanges, and aviation and maritime safety.

The report is notable also for the respectful and constructive tone it uses. Although by no means short on legitimate criticisms of Iran, it avoids the kind of bashing that can only provoke angry reactions and further alienation. For example, it recognizes the complexities of Iran’s internal politics and does not seek to take sides in Iran’s domestic political debates. It acknowledges the long history of relations between Iran and various European countries as a foundation to further expand ties. Instead of blasting the “repressive theocracy,” it states that “Iran’s revolutionary legacy and constitution as an Islamic Republic” should not be an obstacle to finding common ground on issues of democracy and human rights, where possible. These are novel formulations for an official position of an elected Western body on the Islamic Republic, and convey an intention to have a dialogue of equals.

Lingering Opposition

Despite the overwhelming support the house has given the report, a minority of MPs expressed vocal opposition. Some of the criticisms reflect what rapporteur Richard Howitt called “the lobbying interests” of forces opposed to the nuclear agreement with Iran in the first place: right-wing pro-Israeli organizations, Saudi Arabia, and the exiled Iranian dissident group Mojaheddin-e Khalk (MEK), which was on the EU terror list until 2009 and removed on technicality. The hawkish American Jewish Committee blasted the report for allegedly “giving Iran a free pass on human rights and support for Assad regime,” although it somewhat mitigated its criticisms when the EP adopted the last-minute amendment condemning Iran for its “calls for destruction of Israel and denial of Holocaust.” MEK, meanwhile, managed to convince enough MPs to consider an amendment calling to investigate the 1988 massacres of political prisoners in Iran—a crime indeed, but one that Iranians themselves, and not foreign legislative bodies, are best placed to address. However, the house ultimately rejected this amendment.

A different kind of opposition emerged from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), traditionally the third pillar of European politics, after Christian democrats and social democrats. Although ALDE does not oppose the nuclear agreement as such, it rejected the report on the basis that it was “weak” on human rights and “has not preconditioned” any improvement of relations with Iran on tangible progress in this area.

These criticisms do not hold water. The report has no fewer than 34 references to human rights in its 51 paragraphs. It contains very detailed, carefully crafted wording on the death penalty and on the rights of women and religious minorities. It also makes a clear appeal to Iran to release all political prisoners. In the process of drafting the report, the rapporteur and his team consulted extensively with credible human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

But pre-conditioning any cooperation on specific, unilaterally imposed benchmarks could have easily undermined any prospects for progress, for example, by leading the Iranians to cancel talks with the EU on human rights scheduled for November 9 in Brussels. Crucially, these talks involve the Iranian judiciary, the bastion of the conservatives and the main source of the human rights violations. As Howitt said during the debates on his report, “those who say they support human rights, but would jeopardize our leverage to influence them, should examine their own consciences.”

As to the regional situation, the report is careful not to take sides between Iran and its antagonists, such as Saudi Arabia. The critics would have liked to see a strong condemnation of Iran’s support for the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and the removal of clauses that acknowledge the EU and Iran’s common interest in fighting the so-called Islamic State. Instead, the report acknowledges that by following the JCPOA the EU now has increased its leverage over Iran while maintaining ties with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other traditional Western allies in the region. The EU is thus in a unique position to play the role of an honest broker in the conflicts ravaging the region, from Syria to Yemen.

Indeed, it is disingenuous for the critics to claim that they support the nuclear agreement while at the same time putting so many conditions to any cooperation with Iran. The irony is that such an approach would not only squander an opportunity to build a new relationship with Iran but also undermine the nuclear deal itself. The JCPOA is not something once achieved and put in the freezer until the regime in Iran changes—which, one suspects, is the real agenda of many of the critics of the report. For the agreement to survive, all sides need incentives to comply, and that requires trust. This process would be so much more difficult to accomplish in the absence of a broader rapprochement.

Glimmers of Hope

There are signs that the pragmatic approach espoused by the report works. Contrary to the war of words that usually followed EP resolutions in the past, the Iranian foreign ministry welcomed the report as a positive indication that the EU seeks closer relations with Iran. Of course, the reactions of other factions within the regime are yet to be seen. As the string of totally unacceptable arrests and harassment of dual Western-Iranian nationals shows, influential forces that thrive on confrontation exist in Iran as well as in the West. But ultimately, this is how diplomacy works – by taking patient, reciprocal steps, that strengthen moderates on all sides and eventually lead to the demise of old enmities.

This most recent statement reflects a broader European approach to relations with Iran. Just as the EP was debating the Howitt report, the EU lifted sanctions on Bank Saderat, which, however, remains on the OFAC (US Treasure’s Office of Foreign Assets Control) black list. The EU Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management Christos Stylianides, meanwhile, was in Tehran on the same day committing additional 6 million euros to help Afghan refugees in Iran, bringing the total EU humanitarian support to 12.5 million euros in 2016.

These steps by the EU executive and the parliament reinforce the upward trend in the EU-Iran relations. This rapprochement will enable both sides not only to pursue common interests but also to address problematic issues such as human rights and some aspects of Iran’s regional policies without derailing the relations. Given the investment the EU has already made in these relations, it won’t likely follow the new US president if he or she chooses to heed the advice of hawkish Washington-based think tanks and return to the policy of sanctions and isolation of Iran. And that’s another reason why the next American president would be wise to disregard such advice.

This article reflects the personal views of the author and not necessarily the opinions of the European Parliament.  Photo: Richard Howitt

By Eldar Mamedov,

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