Pezeshkian is no savior of the Iranian people

OPINION:

It’s time for the United Nations to hear the true voice of the Iranian people.

As general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly takes place in New York, the ruling regime in Iran is once again attempting to cleanse its bloodstained hands by sending its representative to this international platform. Masoud Pezeshkian, the newly appointed president of this regime, spoke at the General Assembly this week. However, he is neither a representative of the Iranian people nor a messenger of peace; rather, he is one of the criminal operatives who, over the past four decades, has contributed to the ongoing repression and killings.

Mr. Pezeshkian proudly introduces himself as part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the organization that is listed as a terrorist group by the State Department and is responsible for exporting terrorism across the region and killing Iranians. He has posed for photos in IRGC uniform and said, “I would wear the IRGC uniform again.”

Mr. Pezeshkian has also publicly acknowledged that in the early years after the revolution, he was one of the main figures behind the imposition of mandatory hijab at the University of Tabriz, and he takes pride in this fact.

He came to power through an election that was widely boycotted by the public, with less than 10% of eligible voters participating, resulting in his appointment as president. In the 14 months since he took office, the regime has hanged more than 1,700 prisoners, including 36 women.

These executions include protesters, minority rights activists and political prisoners. Recently, two political prisoners, Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani Eslamlou, were hanged. Their only crime was having links to the organized resistance.

At least 12 political prisoners are on death row for alleged ties to the Iranian resistance. Among them is Pezhman Toobeh-Rizi, a 31-year-old recently sentenced to death for alleged connections to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, or PMOI, an Iranian opposition group.

Mr. Pezeshkian’s presence at the United Nations must lead to condemnation of the regime, an end to four decades of massacres and accountability of its officials before international tribunals.

On Sept. 19, the U.N. Security Council rejected a resolution to extend sanctions relief, triggering the snapback mechanism, a move that, as of Sept. 28, will lead to the full reinstatement of international sanctions against the regime. This decision was a significant step toward Tehran’s global isolation, but it is not enough.

Had it not been for the 133 revelations by the Iranian Resistance over the past 34 years, especially the exposure of secret nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak in August 2002, the religious dictatorship ruling Iran would by now be armed with a nuclear bomb, confronting the world with a dangerous fait accompli.

Appeasement has paved the way for war. The only real path to peace is the overthrow of this regime by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.

Iran is in the worst state in its history. With a collapsed economy and destroyed infrastructure (and despite huge oil revenue), millions of Iranians suffer from water and electricity shortages, uncontrolled inflation and severe poverty.

Dissatisfaction across the country has reached a boiling point. As dissent grows, the regime responds with a record pace of executions: one every four hours.

Yet, the Iranian people continue to resist. The nationwide uprisings of recent years show that people are ready to sacrifice their lives for freedom. Their demand is clear: a democratic and secular republic, with no executions and no nuclear weapons.

This week, tens of thousands of freedom-loving Iranians from across the U.S. gathered in front of the U.N. headquarters to show the world that Masoud Pezeshkian and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei do not represent the Iranian people. The rally embodies the Iranian people’s support for the real alternative: the National Council of Resistance of Iran. This coalition has led a united front against religious fascism for more than four decades.

Echoing this growing solidarity with a democratic alternative, on Sept. 6, tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in Brussels to express their support for Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan for Iran’s future, a road map for establishing a democratic, secular republic based on the separation of religion and state.

Now is the time for the international community to act decisively. Expel regime officials from global forums, refer their crimes to the International Criminal Court and recognize the Iranian people’s right to overthrow this regime.

• Shabnam Madadzadeh is a former political prisoner from Iran.