Editorial: To Counter Regime’s Global Threat, Support Iran’s Resistance Units
iran mek pmoi resistance units
Written by
The Editorial Board
Now more than ever, Iran’s regime poses an increasingly grave threat to both regional stability and global peace. By waging a proxy war across the Middle East, endangering global trade in the Red Sea, and racing to attain nuclear weapons for strategic immunity, it places the West in a precarious position, dangling between the specter of full-scale conflict and the challenge of disengagement from the region.
The painful aftermath of the Iraq invasion, marked by a prolonged insurgency and civil strife, has underscored the pitfalls of military intervention, fostering widespread wariness. Yet, liberating the world from the belligerence of the leading state sponsor of terrorism doesn’t necessarily require foreign intervention.
Iran not only epitomizes Islamic extremism but also grapples with over a century of internal struggles for freedom and democracy. It boasts the most enduring and organized Resistance movement, spanning international backing for regime change alongside a network of domestic Resistance Units.
Since 2017, these units have bravely confronted the regime’s extensive security apparatus. Despite facing thousands of arrests, assassinations, and executions, they have remarkably outpaced the regime’s relentless crackdown.
While all efforts of persuasion with Tehran have failed, regime change from within has long been resisted and Iran’s Resistance movement has been suppressed instead. To change course, policy change is warranted.
This policy change has two key elements: designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and declaring political support for the Iranian Resistance network inside Iran.
10,000 MEK-affiliated Resistance Units in #Iran send messages to Free Iran World Summit 2023: Onward to a Democratic Republic, voicing support for @Maryam_Rajavi's Ten-point Plan for a free, democratic, secular republic in #Iran. pic.twitter.com/fLGe4wrHB5
— Ali Safavi (@amsafavi) July 6, 2023
The European Union has not designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, despite an overwhelmingly strong vote by the EU Parliament last year. Despite previous vows by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK government has also refused to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist entity despite extensive calls from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords to do so.
The West’s apparent fear that such a designation could lead to further instability in the Middle East is equivalent to fearing a storm already raging.
Iran’s regime, facing multiple domestic existential crises, is unlikely to back down, as this could trigger internal turmoil and speed up its overthrow. This has created a complex geopolitical situation where the West is confronted with the imperative of making a serious decision on how to respond to the inevitable unfolding situation.
The key to shifting the balance against Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader and the architect of this geopolitical gamble, lies in targeting the regime’s vulnerabilities, its Achilles’ Heel.
By designating the IRGC as the terrorists they truly are and acknowledging the Iranian people’s inherent right to determine their own destiny, the global community isn’t just opting for the most prudent solution; it’s embracing the only viable one.
The world must confront the reality that it is already engaged in a proxy war with Iran. The response doesn’t lie in battling on Iran’s terms but rather within its borders, supporting the courageous efforts of those seeking liberation from tyranny and terrorism.