A group of Iranian Americans is urging the Biden administration to prioritize the issue of human rights as it looks to restart nuclear talks with Iran.
A document was sent to the White House on Monday and offered policy recommendations after President Biden expressed a willingness late last week to return to nuclear talks with Iran. The policy push, which was initiated by the Organization of Iranian American Communities, stresses that not only is Iran in violation of the nuclear deal but is also involved in human rights abuses and international terrorism. A copy of the document was obtained by the Washington Examiner for review.
The group said Biden administration policy “does not explicitly incorporate the full spectrum of issues, most notably the situation of human rights in Iran or the regime’s espionage and terrorism against dissidents.”
Biden has taken a different tack toward Iran than former President Donald Trump since taking office. Trump left the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018, and Biden has signaled a willingness to make a return, although only if Iran stops violating major parts of the nuclear pact.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that Iran could be just “weeks away” from developing a nuclear weapon, and on Monday, he said that the goal of the administration is to “lengthen and strengthen” the JCPOA and that the U.S. plans to “address other areas of concern, including Iran’s destabilizing regional behavior and ballistic missile development and proliferation.”
Among the issues of concern raised in the Monday policy recommendations is Iran’s high level of executions, including several that gained international attention in recent months like that of wrestler Navid Afkari and political opponents of the regime. It also drew attention to the fact that an Iranian diplomat was convicted in a Belgian court of attempting to bomb a Paris gathering of opposition figures.
The Monday plea for the Biden administration to weigh larger concerns with democracy and human rights in Iran was bolstered by a resolution introduced earlier this month, featuring more than 100 House lawmakers of both parties. The resolution was accompanied by a White House letter that encouraged the U.S. to remain firm in not only holding Iran accountable for its nuclear program but also “other destabilizing activities in the region; such as, its support for terrorism, development of ballistic missiles, and human rights violations against its own people.”
The OIAC policy recommendation asserts that the U.S. should “avoid easing or removing sanctions in the absence of substantial shifts in regime policies.”
“Specific measures should support the Iranian people’s personal freedoms, freedom of expression, and democratic rights,” the document reads. “At the same time, the White House can join Congress to vocally support the plight of women, religious and ethnic minorities, and the organized opposition movement that seeks a free Iran.”
Ramesh Sepehrrad, chairwoman of OIAC Advisory Board, told the Washington Examiner on Monday that “by supporting human rights and democracy in Iran, the Biden administration would be both on the right side, as well as having the right leverage against the Iranian regime.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment about the recommendations.
