5 April 2022
Anthony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Mr. Blinken,
Iran Transition Council (ITC), who represents the association of many ethnic and religious groups in Iran, including women who have been seriously discriminated against, as well as many unemployed, political prisoners, and millions of Iranians scattered in the world diaspora, urges you that in your government’s negotiations with Iran on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to seriously consider and include the human rights abuses in Iran, as well as the malevolence of the Quds Force in the Middle Eastern region, as conditions of the JCPOA agreement.
Using its proxy paramilitaries, the Islamic Regime has destabilized and seriously undermined the security of the Middle East region; in particular Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. The paramilitaries operating under the regime’s Quds Force include Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Hashd al-Shaabi, and many subgroups such as Kataib Hezbollah, the Badr Army, the Asaib Ahl-e Haq, the Movement of Imam Ali, and the Houthis in Yemen and others. In addition, the Islamic regime has never adhered to any international commitment, including its obligation under the JCOPA accord. The regime has continued enriching weapon grade uranium that may be used for building an atomic weapon. This has been of great concern for countries in the region, including Israel.
It must also be of a great concern that when the United States is attempting to compromise to find a way forward in JCPOA, the regime attacks Aramco’s oil facilities and the oil reservoirs in Jeddah through its proxy forces in Yemen, using missiles and drones provided by the Quds force. Furthermore, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Core (IRGC) attacked the USA’s interests in Erbil, using ballistic missiles. Notwithstanding these atrocities, the JCPOA negotiators in Vienna are exploring a possible way to delist the IRGC from the international terrorist list. If the JCPOA is agreed, and sanctions lifted, more resources will become available to support and sustain the Quds’s paramilitaries in the Middle East region.
Mr. Secretary, considering these stated facts, the ITC urges the USA not to lift the regime’s sanctions until such time as assurances are received and confirmed by your department that basic human rights in Iran are being adhered to, and that the Islamic regime’s malevolence in the Middle East has been stopped.
The ITC warns that it is necessary to take appropriate action to prevent catastrophe in the Middle East as an urgent matter. To assist, we recommend that you specify a date and time when our representatives can meet to discuss and exchange ideas to provide an effective solution.
Hassan Shariatmadari
ITC Secretary General
