Dear President Biden and Secretary Blinken,

As Americans show signs of taking their democracy for granted, do Americans understand how desperately the people of Iran want democracy?  The people of Iran are literally dying every day in their fight to oust the Islamic Republic (IR) of Iran. Freedom is a precious thing and when you don’t have it, it becomes something worth dying for. Do Americans remember the role the United States and Great Britain played in taking down a fledgling Iranian democracy by facilitating the coup in 1953? Tragically, we were complicit not only in the coup, but also in the eventual takeover by the Ayatollahs. Today, the west has an opportunity to right this wrong by supporting the people of Iran in their revolution.

The IR, under the pretense of religion, has amassed power and riches at the expense of the Iranian people. No amount of brutality, torture, imprisonment, or murder has been unjustifiable to fund their autocracy, lifestyles, and terroristic objectives.  The regime is godless, hypocritical, and corrupt to its core. Countless examples of IR leaders and their families enjoying lavish, liberal lifestyles in western countries have been documented, while at the same time the regime executes Iranians at home who support or express similar freedoms. The regime is willing to murder children, college students, physicians and any woman or man who challenge their authority or legitimacy. Meanwhile, regime members vacation in the west, educate their children in the west, and stash their stolen money in the west.

The leaders of the IR are recognizing a potentially unstoppable revolution and are quietly sending their families and fortunes out of Iran. They are hedging their bets by preparing for escape. They fear their grip on power is slipping and have reportedly increased the salaries of the Revolutionary Guard by 20% across the board to ensure loyalty in the face of rampant public protests. They are bringing in foreign fighters. The regime is desperately doubling and tripling down on violent suppression of the people of Iran.

Meanwhile, American and other western leaders have been duped by a select group of Iranians living in the west, many affiliated with the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). These individuals have close ties and/or financial incentives with the IR and essentially represent a sophisticated influence campaign to solidify the legitimacy and advance the objectives of the regime. Yet most Iranians who live in Iran or who live in the west despise these regime loyalists for misrepresenting the will of the Iranian people. The most recent examples of how NIAC and other regime loyalists have tried to distort the truth and protect the legitimacy of the regime include portraying the protests as narrowly limited to students, or only focused on women and the hijab issue, or driven by economic sanctions imposed by the west. The truth is that the hijab issue is only the tip of the iceberg.  Yes, the women of Iran have led the way in the protests, but the people of Iran broadly want the regime to fall for many, many reasons.

What is at stake? Generations of Iranians have suffered and been oppressed at the hands of their government – without regime change this will continue. Iran is a humanitarian catastrophe. The IR is also a major destabilizing force in the middle east and beyond through its promotion of terrorism and violence. Understandably, the U.S. has been obsessed with the nuclear ambitions of the IR. Unfortunately, a negotiated “nuclear deal” with the IR would financially empower the regime and only delay their nuclear weapons program. On the other hand, the fall of the regime and its replacement by a democratic government would have a much more profound impact on the nuclear weapons issue and prospects for peace.

A democratic Iran could become a crucial ally for the U.S., Israel, and Europe.  This is especially important as China and Russia are aligning and threatening the west. A democratic Iran would be of incalculable benefit.

What should the U.S. and other democracies around the world do? Recognize the seismic opportunity presented by the replacement of the Iranian regime by a democracy supported by its people. Insist that our allies stop legitimizing the IR through diplomatic channels. A small stunning example of how the west legitimizes the IR is by allowing Iran to sit on the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Further isolate the regime economically from the world. Expel IR members and their families from western countries. Freeze the financial assets of IR members that have been hidden in the west. These assets can be returned to a future democratic Iran. Actively support the people of Iran in their revolution. This includes not only strong public statements of support, but also any feasible tangible support in the form of food, medical assistance, communications, etc. Aggressive action supporting the revolution in Iran is not only the moral thing to do but in the best interest of the west.

Understand that time is of the essence.  The Islamic regime is not bound by shame, ethics, or morals.  They will patiently inflict increasing violence on the people of Iran until the revolution is suppressed.  The Iranian people, the middle east and the world urgently need leadership and action from the United States and its allies during this surprising window of opportunity.

Please sign the petition and call or email the White House at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

(202) 456-1111