If we’re committed to helping Iran’s freedom-seekers, it’s time to hit the regime’s propaganda organs. They managed to convince too many that Iran’s popular uprising is over — even as it rages on after nearly two weeks, at least two-dozen deaths and thousands sent to notorious prison dungeons.
Or we can simply ignore the whole thing so as not to undermine the holiest of holies, the Iran nuclear deal. That, more or less, was the dominant tone at a UN Security Council meeting last Friday.
Hey, Russia noted, US law enforcement chased off Occupy Wall Street demonstrators. Iran’s ambassador reiterated that theme, adding cases all the way back to the 1970 Kent State shootings.
Even more disturbing were almost uniform European speeches that paid lip service to the right of peaceful protesters, while calling to “engage” Iranian regime “moderates.” Mostly, the Europeans warned of doing anything that might undermine the JCPOA, as the Iran deal is known.
Oh, and they, too, tended to subtly criticize US policies while underplaying Iran’s transgressions.
That “doesn’t bother me,” American UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who arranged the meeting and overcame a Russian-led attempt to nix it, said after. “We were fighting for the Iranian people today, they were heard, that was our goal and we won,” she told me.
On Sunday, however, when interviewed on ABC “This Week,” Haley was mostly questioned about “Fire and Fury,” our media craze-du-jour. Iran didn’t merit a single question.
Yet Iranians say Washington’s help is more needed than ever.
“Change in Iran has never been internal only,” said Ali, a Washington-based Iranian activist. (His name has been changed, as the regime pays attention to names quoted in US media.)
Ali noted that as the state-controlled media pushes the line that anti-regime protests are winding down, Iranians are still urging President Trump to sanction Tehran’s top mouthpiece, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
The hashtag (in English and Farsi) #BanIRIB has been used 250,000 times since last Friday, when reports emerged that Trump intends to renew sanctions on the media giant. Sixty percent of that hashtag’s users originated inside Iran, where social media continues to drive the uprising despite the regime’s attempts to block access.
Why IRIB? It controls all television and radio broadcasting inside Iran, and has several Arabic-language stations across the Mideast, as well as in other languages — including Press TV here and in Britain.
In 2013, Congress sanctioned IRIB because, according to the legislation, it often broadcasts “forced televised confessions and show trials” and is used to violate other human rights.
But in February 2014, President Barack Obama signed a waiver, which since has been renewed every six months, including twice by Trump, ending the sanctions. Ali says State Department “lifers” are pushing for Trump to sign the waiver again, when it comes due on Jan. 30.
But according to The Guardian, Trump instead is strongly considering reimposing the IRIB sanctions.
Remember: IRIB heavily relies on American and European satellite services and fiber-optic connections. It also uses a lot of Western programming on its various stations. American-imposed sanctions would all but end its ability to disseminate propaganda. Under US pressure, European satellite services will likely sever IRIB ties as well.
And no, none of this touches Obama’s nuclear deal.
Even according to its most ardent supporters, “the JCPOA was only meant to fix one thing, the nuclear threat,” Ali said. Imposing sanctions on IRIB wouldn’t violate the agreement, yet it’d promote human rights.
And thus, he added, this marks “the first time Iranians widely support outside sanctions against the regime.”
Europeans and State Department veterans will continue to push against any sanctions, fearing Iranian diplomatic blowback. But human rights — not to mention the hope for enlightened, non-menacing Iranian leaders — merit a US push against the ruthless and aggressive “moderates” currently in power.
An increasing number of Iranians want it. We shouldn’t turn our back on them.
Twitter @bennyavni