By: Dr. Arash Irandoost
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
October 29, 2011
Dear Secretary Clinton,
We, the undersigned, express grave concern over remarks made by you during your recent interview at VOA. After watching the interview and hearing many of your statements, we felt it necessary to write to you and express our disappointment and outrage.
Madam Secretary, you rightfully stated that the Iranian regime was a “dictatorship” and warned that the Islamic Republic in Iran is moving towards a “military dictatorship.” We also appreciate your empathy regarding the strengths and resilience of the Iranian people which is currently controlled by an oppressive regime and share your views regarding the Quds Force and the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapon’s program. However your administration’s appeasement policies toward Iran and doubletalk have in large measure contributed to the current situation in Iran.
Madam Secretary, the Iranian community is puzzled and confused as to why would such a high-ranking United States official would want to pursue dialogue and diplomacy with a regime that is as admitted by you as “state sponsor of terrorism” and is a dictatorship?”
Madam Secretary, the Iranian community is puzzled about the message you were trying to convey. We were certainly hoping that like President Obama during his first New Year’s message who offered his hand and received a clinched fist, or remained shamefully silent which Iranians were butchered by Basij, Hezbollah and Hamas thugs, you would have learned your lesson and would not commit the same error.
Madam Secretary, the Iranian community is well aware that the Islamic Republic has infiltrated many sensitive US intuitions that are hard at work disguising the regime’s crimes and advocating for favorable policies toward it. Their harmful impact and influence was clearly evident throughout the interview.
Madam Secretary, the United States should not apologize to the Iranian regime. If the United Sates is to apologize to anyone, it should be to the Iranian people and the suffering brought onto them because of misguided policies of the United States starting with President Carter. May we remind you that Iranians are banned from visiting Dr. Mossadegh’s village and resting place. Former President Rafsanjani’s book on Dr. Mossadegh is a banned book in Iran. That is how much respect mullahs have for Dr. Mossadegh, who is considered a national hero by many Iranians. If an apology is needed, it is owed to Iranian Nationalists, not the mullahs.
Madam Secretary, the Iranian community urges you to keep the following points in mind when dealing with Iran:
• Many rulers have conquered Iran throughout our history. They might have managed to destruct our cities, and burn our libraries but have failed to destroy our identity, culture and love of life. Conqueror after conqueror has eventually succumbed to our rich culture, customs, traditions and intellect. Mullahs have tried to destroy our Persian identity and have failed miserably. Their strategy has backfired and many Iranians are turning away from the Islamic Republic, reacquainting themselves with their ancestors and are fighting the regime in many clever and innovative ways.
• For you and Mr. Obama to identify the mullahs as civilized and culturally-rich Iranians, shows the austerity of knowledge about our culture and history. Mullahs despise our cultural heritage and our past history and civilization. They view Iran as a conquered country. You insult many of us if in fact you think that mullahs have any respect show any pride in our rich traditions.
• Iranians have first-hand witnessed the atrocities committed by the theocratic rulers under the Shariia law. Your strategy to not to confront the mullahs and willingness to pursue dialogue and diplomacy with a regime that to your admission has Iranian and American blood on its hands, is an insult to Iranians and our brave U.S. military men and women who have lost their lives defending the values very cherish so dearly.
• The Iranian bungled operation to use proxies to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador and to purposefully plan the operation inside the United States is a stunning rebuke to the Obama administration’s negotiation strategy with the regime.
• Republican and Democratic administrations since 1980 have yet to realize the harsh reality that Iran is a threat to world peace and is the United States’ number one strategic enemy. Mullahs have been at war with the United States ever since they came to power.
• In 1979, when Islamic extremists occupied the US embassy and held Americans hostage for 444 days, the United States did not respond effectively, thus emboldened the regime.
• In 1983, the Hezbollah blew up the American Embassy, the marine barracks in Lebanon and the Embassy Annex the following year killing 241 Americans, the United States did not respond effectively, , thus emboldened the regime.
• In 1983, the Iranian backed Al-Dawa blew up the US Embassy in Kuwait and attacked Raytheon’s residential area killing and wounding over 80.
• In 1984, the CIA station chief, William Buckley, captured and eventually killed.
• In 1996, the US Air force Kobhar towers in Saudi Arabia was blown up killing 19 and wounding almost 400.
• During the Chain Murder years, regime agents under direct orders from Khamenei and Rafsanjani assassinated over 120 Iranian opposition leaders abroad.
• Since 2003, the regime has provided rockets, mortars, enhanced IED’s that killed many US troops in Iraq.
Madam Secretary, while you are trying to force Iran to the negotiations table, Iranian mullahs are waging a radically aggressive campaign, support Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They support the Taliban in Afghanistan against NATO forces and use the IRGC’s elite Quds forces to train, finance, and equip Sunni and Shiite militias in Iraq. Your empty rhetoric and doubletalk and appeasement policies embolden the regime to commit even more crimes. Attempts to negotiate and isolate have not deterred the regime. If the United States continues the half-measure policies of the past 33 years, the regime will continue to kill more Americans and Iranians, commit more human rights violations, sponsor terrorism and pursue nuclear weapons.
Madam Secretary, for the record, Mousavi is not and has never been considered the leader of uprising when millions poured onto streets. Mousavi has made his allegiance to a theocratic form of government and his passion for the nuclear bomb is well documented. His relationship with Hezbollah and his role in executing thousands of Iranians is well known in Iran and the fact that not a single demonstration was held when Khamenei ordered his house arrest, should be an indication of lack of sizable support for him inside Iran. Mousavi is no friend of Iranians and certainly should not be considered a potential ally for the US. Iranians used Mr. Mousavi a pretext to demonstrate against the Islamic Republic. Iranian demonstrators loudly chanted “Mousavi is only a pretext; the entire regime is [our] target.” Mousavi is cunningly and deceptively is propped up by the regime agents, IRI apologists and lobbyists to keep the United States distracted and preoccupied.
We are concerned about the degree of infiltration of Islamist and regime lobbyists in the United States. During the Rafsanjani presidency, it was decided that one of the ways to distract the United States and prevent it from any meaningful reaction to regime atrocities and clandestine nuclear program was to create an Iranian lobby to counteract AIPAC. The Iranian regime spends millions annually in the United States, to shape the US policy and prevent the Iranian opposition from forming a united front. Cultural and Islamic study centers, many university professors, Iran “so-called experts and foundations are a part of complex and sophisticated network of IRI lobby designed to feed the American decision-makers with disinformation.
Madam Secretary, IRGC control the telecommunication systems in Iran. Iranians can freely travel to Turkey and apply for visa to study in the United States and many regimes off springs are actively doing that. Iranians do not need expensive software applications but a nationwide access to the Internet independent of IRGC. The ideal of “Virtual Embassy” frankly is ill-conceived.
Madam Secretary, it is our belief that the United States will not be able to effectively deal with Iran as long as the US policy toward Iran is being managed and influenced by pro-regime Islamists and Communists who have infiltrated sensitive US institutions. You appear to have a policy of rhetorical condemnation while the regime is advancing its nuclear weapons program.
It is time to question if the US policy with respect to Iran has been working? Iranians have witnessed this regime in action for 33 years. They have reached the conclusion that this regime cannot be reformed. They want a regime change. They want a free, democratic and secular Iran. Perhaps it is about time for the United States to support the pro-democracy opposition groups and help them overcome the evil that is about to bring misery and chaos to peace loving people of the world. Thirty three years of empty rhetoric and double talk ought to be enough.
Respectfully,
The Undersigned
Dr. Arash Irandoost, Founder, Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran www.pdmi.org
Firouzeh Ghaffarpour, Political Activist
Walton K. Martin III, Director, the Iran Information Project, USA
Parvin Irandoost, Human Rights Advocate
Dr. Gill Gillespie, Director, the Iran Information Project
Sheri Alvandin, Human Rights Activist and Publisher
Herb Hudson
Hashem Hakimi, Honrable Former Ambassador
Posted by PDMI-Arash Irandoost
